A detached bungalow has been severely damaged after fire ripped through it this afternoon.

Fire broke out in the loft of the three-bedroom detached bungalow in Grovehurst Road, Kemsley.

Initially, two pumps from Sittingbourne attended when the alarm was raised just after 11am. This was increased to six fire engines in total when the first crews saw smoke pouring from the bungalow.

The property's occupants, a family of three, a man and wife in their 50s and their teenage son, were in the garden when the fire broke out.

Mat Barney, crew manager from Sittingbourne, said: "They were having a coffee out the back when the radio they were listening to suddenly went off.

"They thought it was a bit strange, but when the radio faded out they could hear the smoke detector working on the landing. They went and had a quick look, but it was too much so they got out of the property and stayed out until we came."

Two crews from Medway and pumps from Faversham and Canterbury assisted Sittingbourne firefighters.

Hose reel jets and compressed air foam was used to tackle flames, and a lancet water jet was also inserted through the badly damaged roof.

Mr Barney said: "It looks horrendous, but believe you me, a couple of minutes later without that equipment, the roof would've been in all the rooms below it."

The fire caused extensive damage to the roof and two bedrooms at the front of the bungalow.

He said crews were able to save two-thirds of the property but it was "uninhabitable".

Crews will remain at the address for several hours to carry out salvage work. A Red Cross vehicle attended the address to offer assistance to the family. The cause of the is under investigation.

Mr Barney praised the work of firefighters and said the smoke detector had "done its job" in alerting the occupants. Neighbouring properties were unaffected.

The turn-off to Kemsley from the A249 slip road, and the approach to Grovehurst Road from Sittingbourne, remains blocked-off by police.