A woman has been rescued by firefighters from a blaze in a house in Folkestone in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters were called to Westbourne Gardens, Folkestone, after police spotted a fire at a three floor property containing nine flats at 1.10am.

Crews wearing breathing appartus rescued a woman from the second floor using a 10-metre ladder.

She and three other residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Six people were evacuated in all.

Firefighters searched all rooms in the property to ensure no one else was trapped before using a special fan to clear smoke from the building.

Six fire engines, including crews from Ashford, Dover and Hythe, attended the incident.

The fire was quickly brought under control and firefighters left the scene shortly after 4am.

The area under the stairwell and the communal hallway were badly damaged and all other floors in the building suffered smoke damage.

Rupert Roberts, group manager at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Praise goes to the crews who did an excellent job in rescuing the casualty from the second floor and searching this large property to ensure no-one else was trapped.

"They prevented the fire spreading through the building and got it under control quickly."

Fire investigators are currently on the scene investigating the cause of the blaze.