Three men caught a woman who jumped from her two-storey home to escape a house fire in Broadstairs this morning.

Paramedics treated two women at the scene for smoke inhalation after the blaze started in the lounge on the ground floor.

Tony Wooddeson and Ben Holmes were at work in their Baldwin and Holmes van when they saw the flames from the Beacon Road property at about 9am.

Mr Wooddeson said: “I tried to get round and break through the door at the back of the house.

“I managed to get in but the smoke was too thick so when I tried to go through the kitchen I couldn’t go any further.”

Mr Holmes managed to let smoke escape from doors and windows at the front of the house where the flames were at their strongest.

Ben McGregor, 26, helped the men break their way into the house and catch the woman jumping from her window.

He said: “I was driving past and stopped when I saw the flames. They went from nothing to the whole house being on fire.

“Neighbours were banging on doors and the emergency services were called quickly.

“The smoke inside was neck high and windows got smashed as we tried to get in.

“She plucked up the courage to jump and the three of us caught her at the bottom.”

Three fire engines, an ambulance and Kent Police arrived within five minutes.

A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “Fire crews accessed the roof via ladders and cut away and damped down the five bedroom house.

“They used breathing apparatus, a hose reel, main jet and hydrant to tackle the blaze.”