A woman was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of inhaling smoke after she tackled a fire at her home in Dover on Wednesday night.

Fire crews were called to Athol Terrace at 8.40pm when a chip pan caught light, setting off a smoke alarm.

The woman, who was in the house with her two children, put the fire out, but in the process inhaled smoke and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. The children escaped unhurt.

A spokesman for the fire service said it was good that the smoke detector was working and raised the alarm, but people should not stay in their homes and tackle a fire.

"They should shut the doors, get out, stay out and call us," he said. "We are equipped for dealing with situations where homes are filled with smoke."