A SHOCKED family returned home to find their house ablaze. Their neighbours had earlier fled their own homes as the fire took hold.

Firefighters had been called to Borstal Road, Borstal, near Rochester, at 11.30am on Saturday after the neighbours had heard the smoke alarm going off.

The blaze is believed to have caused by a TV electrical fault.

Ian Simpson, Strood Fire Station crew manager, said: “The family had been out at the time of the fire but we were still there when they returned. They were obviously very shocked.”

The crews, not knowing the house was empty and fearing people were trapped inside, broke down the front door with a sledgehammer.

Mr Simpson added: “Flames were coming out of the window and we didn’t know if somebody was inside.”

One neighbour, mother-of-four Lesley Cowling, said: “I could see the fire coming out of the back of the house. Another neighbour called at my door and told us to get out.

“I was scared the fire might spread to my house. We waited outside until it was safe to go back in.”

The flames badly damaged the living room. The rest of the house was smoke-logged. Crews were at the scene for around two hours.