About 40 firefighters tackled a large blaze at an old school building.

Flames were seen on at least two floors of the former St John Fisher Catholic School block in Chatham at about 6pm.

Fire engines made their way to the scene in Ordnance Street, while two of the building’s top floors had smoke billowing from them.

A fire service spokesman said: “Approximately 40 firefighters tackled a blaze at a derelict school building in Charles Street, Chatham.

“Crews wearing breathing apparatus used a combination of main jets and high-pressure hose reel jets, plus a height vehicle due to the size of the building involved.

“People living and working in the area were asked to avoid the vicinity to assist with emergency services access to the scene.”

As of 8.30pm, fire service operations at the incident were brought to a close.

A fire spokesman added: “The fire has been extinguished and two fire engines remain at the scene recovering equipment and handing over duty of care to the site owners.”

Another witness near the scene explained: “It seems crews are standing down, but it’s still a large presence.

“Paramedics are still here, but it seems precautionary. There are also lots of specialist units including drones.”