Firefighters say it is lucky a historic building wasn't destroyed this morning after a fire broke out at a heritage site near Canterbury.

Two fire engines were called to King Post in St Mary's Road, Elham at 3.30am today after a blaze broke out at the 15th century home.

The crews were called by a neighbour when an electrical fire broke out in an alley underneath the site which is listed by English Heritage.

Firefighters donned breathing apparatus and used hose reels to tackle the flames for two hours before it was extinguished.

The empty building is in a terrace next to homes but firefighters say there was no danger of the blaze spreading to them.

Watch Manager John Howard said: "The whole of the corridor was 100% destroyed by the fire and we called the electricity board to restore power supplies.

"Luckily it was just confined to the corridor and not the main house otherwise it would have been engulfed."

Fire crews left the scene at 5.30am