Cats, lizards, spiders and snakes were killed in a fire which destroyed the ground floor of a house in the early hours of this morning.

Crews were called to King Edward Road in Ramsgate at about 1am after the blaze was sparked by cooking left unattended on a hob.

The one occupant was out of the building, and two kittens were saved by firefighters, but a number of other animals died.

Three fire engines were at the scene at the height of the blaze, which was put out shortly after 1.30pm.

The first floor of the property suffered smoke damage.

Next door neighbour Emma Ramsal, who lives with her three children, said the family woke to the sound of the fire alarm and smell of smoke.

She said: "We ran out onto the street and saw the flames. All the community came together to help. It was quite scary."

Ms Ramsal said there was a 20-minute delay in emergency crews reaching the house because cars parked on the narrow road obstructed the route.

The fire service has now issued advice about how to prevent kitchen fires.

Leanne McMahon, group manager for community safety at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Unfortunately, over half of all the fires we attend start in the kitchen and the majority are caused by unattended cooking, a build-up of grease and fat on the cooker, or by kitchen mishaps, where items such as tea towels, chopping boards or washing baskets have been left on the hob.”

“By taking a few moments to work out what is coming in between you and a fire safe mealtime, you can avoid a fire of this type happening.”