A horrified young woman returned home to find her house wrecked by fire.

The occupant came back to find firefighters around her home in Lordswood controlling the blaze that tore through the roof.

Firefighters believe it happened through the chain effect of a discarded cigarette lighting wood chippings in the garden, the flames reaching a shed and then climbing up the house.

Firefighters’ watch manager Marc Rosier said: "The young woman occupant had gone out at the time it happened and came back to find us around the house, bringing the fire under control. She was obviously very distraught."

Firefighters were called to the blaze at Catterick Road at 2.50pm Saturday.

It is thought a used cigarette had set light to the bark chippings next to the garden shed. The flames engulfed the shed and the fire went up the two-storey home and entered the roofspace, setting fire to the loft. The blaze also crept below into a bedroom, also causing damage there.

Mr Rosier said: "Because nobody was home we had to force entry into the house. We managed to rescue one pet cat inside, and we were able to save the rest of the house.

Three fire engines were called to the blaze, from the Strood, Gillingham and Chatham stations.