A FIRE ripped through a house in a Kent town in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The blaze, which is believed to have been caused during cooking, destroyed the kitchen and caused smoke damage to the rest of the property.

Firefighters from Thames-side Fire Station were called to the house in Whitehill Road, Gravesend, just after midnight.

Three people who were in the house at the time got themselves out and called the fire brigade.

The two adults and one teenager were not hurt in the incident but were offered oxygen as a precautionary measure.

Two crews from Thames-side were at the scene for three hours.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "This was a difficult job because the fire spread to the walls and the floors making the bedroom above the kitchen unstable.

"They were very lucky. If they had not discovered the fire when they did it could have been a lot more severe for them."