A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in her electrical cupboard.

The woman's husband dialled 999 after the couple's smoke alarm went off at 11.55am today in Sturla Road, Chatham.

The man, also in his 70s, escaped but his wife was trapped upstairs as the house filled with smoke.

Dozens of neighbours gathered as two crews from Medway Fire Station arrived and saw the woman at a window.

They walked into the terraced home wearing breathing apparatus and carried her downstairs and out the front door.

They then used water jets to put out the fire, which had spread to fill the cupboard under the stairs. Crews left the scene by 1.30pm.

The woman was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital suffering smoke inhalation and her husband has been put in temporary accommodation by the Red Cross.

The pair have not been named.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the blaze was thought to be caused by faulty electrics.

He added: "It appears to have been a freak accident. We would remind people to test their smoke alarms, as this couple's alarm came in very handy."