by Emma Grove

The owner of three mischievous rottweilers who started a kitchen fire has said his pets are not remorseful at all, just pleased they reached the biscuit barrel which caused the blaze.

Firefighters were called to Jefferson Road in Sheerness at about 3.30pm on Wednesday, June 17.When the crews arrived they were confronted with Neo, Zeus and Bear - three rottweilers who had caused a blaze in the kitchen of the mid-terraced property.

Carl Lewis, who lives in the house and owns the dogs, was out when the fire started with his wife Lynzy and one-year-old son, Kai.

Mr Lewis, 35, is sure the hungry dogs had got up onto the worktop to reach a container holding biscuits.

Their paws had turned on the electric cooker, and some birthday presents which were on top of the hob caught alight.

Firefighters managed to save the rest of the house, but the cooker was destroyed and the kitchen is severely smoke and heat damaged.

Two cats, two kittens and a third dog, a shitzu-chihuahua cross called Teddy, also had to be rescued.

Mr Lewis, who works at the steel mill, said they were lucky they had moved a grey African parrot which usually stays in the kitchen.

He said: "The smoke was horrendous.

"I think the damage is probably a couple of hundred pounds, we need to replace the cooker."

Mr Lewis said the couple's advice is to not stack things on the hob, and to have nice neighbours.

Firefighters were first alerted by neighbours, and they were on-hand to take care of the dogs while the crew worked to put the blaze out.

Mr Lewis added: "The neighbours were round really quickly. They got the dogs out and I'm very thankful to them and the firefighters.

"The dogs don't really know what they have done - all they know is they got the biscuits.

"It wasn't a major catastrophe - all the animals survived."