FIRE crews have been praised for successfully preventing a fire spreading at a thatched mansion and saving most of its contents.

Firefighters were called to the large detached house in Main Road, Hoo St Werburgh, near Rochester, shortly after noon on Wednesday and discovered a serious fire in the central section of the roof.

At its height 10 fire appliances, a height vehicle, a water unit and several support units attended the scene.

Water from a swimming pool in the grounds of the house was also used to put out the blaze.

Divisional Officer (Operations) Graham Gash, said: "Fires in thatched properties are renowned for spreading rapidly.

"However, thanks to aggressive firefighting action and a well-coordinated salvage operation, they managed to save around two-thirds of the building and virtually all its contents."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

* See Friday's Medway Messenger for more details.