A man was treated for burns to his hand after trying to tackle a fire at his home in Dover.

The alarm was raised at about 12.45pm today when passers-by noticed smoke coming from the roof of the house in Melbourne Avenue.

They banged on the front door to alert the occupants. A woman left the house, and a dog and six puppies were carried to safety. But the man was on the stairs trying to tackle the flames with a hose.

Fire crews from Dover and St Margaret's attended and put the fire out. The man was given oxygen and also suffered burns to his hand.

Earlier in the day the fire crews had been called to Snargate Street in Dover to rescue a dog which was trapped on the cliffs.