A discarded cigarette is thought to have sparked a fire outside a home in Gillingham.

Crews were called to put out the flames outside the back of a property on Gorst Street, after a smoke alarm alerted the homeowners to the blaze.

Firefighters were called at 3.16am today and luckily, because the occupants had been alerted by the alarm, they were able to get out of the home without injury.s

Crews wore breathing apparatus to enter the house to check to see if the fire had spread inside.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Crews are reminding the public of the importance of having working smoke alarms, as this was a key factor in alerting the occupant of the property.

"This ensured that they were able to escape quickly, call 999 and allowing firefighters to put out the fire before it spread internally. "