A cat has died after firefighters were called to Pavillion Road, Folkestone, after a fire broke out shortly after midnight today.

Fire crews found the ground floor of a two-storey house alight.

The occupants were led to safety, but one man, believed to be in his forties, was treated for minor cuts and the effects of breathing in smoke.

A pet dog was rescued by the firefighters, but the occupants’ cat had died.

The ground floor was badly damaged by fire and smoke, and the rest of the property suffered from smoke damage.

The exact cause of the fire is being investigated but it is believed to be electrical in nature.

The fire was only discovered by a resident returning to the house after going outside for a cigarette. The property had no smoke alarms.

Folkestone Watch Manager Mick Dennis said: "The nature of this incident highlights how important it is for every home to have smoke alarms fitted. If the residents had been able to raise the alarm sooner, the damage could have been contained.

"While nobody was injured apart from the sad loss of a family pet, what might have happened if the occupants had not been alerted does not bear thinking about. Just three breaths of toxic smoke from a fire can render you unconscious, and if you have children or older people in the house, they are even more at risk."