FIRE destroyed the inside of a three-storey building in a Kent town in the early hours of this morning.

The Herne Bay crew was called out shortly before 1am to the blaze in the empty property opposite Herne Bay Junior School in Kings Road.

Reinforcements from Whitstable were ordered immediately and as many as 30 firefighters helped get the fire under control.

Firefighter Nigel Grace, of Herne Bay's green watch, said: "The fire had started on the ground floor and we think it had been going for quite a while by the time we got there. The staircase was totally burnt through all the way to the top.

"We fought it from the front and rear at the ground floor but we had to use makeshift staircases, as well as ladders, to get up to the top."

It is thought 90 per cent of the ground floor has been destroyed and between 85 and 90 per cent of the second and third floors. The building is currently on the market and contains not a single item of furniture.

The all-clear was passed at 3.40am and investigations are ongoing as to the cause of the blaze. Herne Bay Junior School reported lessons running as normal today with no side effects from the nearby fire.