More than a dozen people were evacuated from their homes in Margate after a major fire.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blaze in a row of eight terraced houses in Grosvenor Place at around 2am Sunday.

One building was completely destroyed and another four properties damaged by fire and smoke.

No-one was trapped and no-one was hurt in the incident, although the Red Cross Victim Support Unit - a voluntary resource that provides assistance to those affected by fire – took 14 residents to a nearby welfare centre for shelter and refreshment.

At its height more than 40 firefighters from across east Kent helped tackle the blaze and many of them remained at the scene into Sunday morning.

Part of the area around Grosvenor Place was cordoned off and Kent Police managed traffic flow.

A spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said on Sunday it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.