A man was taken to hospital and a dog rescued following a fire in the kitchen of a flat in Canterbury last night.

Firefighters were called to Riverbend Close shortly before 1am after the occupant raised the alarm when his smoke detector activated.

They found a man in his 20s, who had been fighting the blaze himself, in the ground floor flat of the three-storey property.

He was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene by paramedics and then taken to hospital.The fire crew also rescued a small dog from the flat.

The occupant had put out the flames before firefighters arrived but the crew used breathing apparatus and ventilation fans to clear the property of smoke which had caused extensive damage.

The cause of the fire has been logged as accidental.