A FIRE which claimed the life of a man at a town centre house at Ramsgate is thought to have started on the first floor and spread quickly through a collection of books.

The name of the victim is likely to be announced by police after a post-mortem examination tomorrow. He was in 70s and found dead at the top of the stairs surrounded by flames, say firemen.

His wife was rescued from the house at Abbots Hill, behind Rooks the butchers, in King Street. She was taken to the Queen Mother Hospital at Margate.

The fire broke out shortly before midday on Friday while the town’s crew was fighting a fire at the port. Emergency cover was summoned from Deal and Herne Bay and at the height of the blaze there were 30 firefighters from across east Kent involved.

A fire brigade spokesman described how flames were going through the roof when he arrived. He said: “Inside was thick black smoke. There was a lot of bits and pieces just lying around. It was hard to see to get into the rooms. We had a crew at the top that couldn’t see a fire in a room but we could see it outside. The roof was coming in as we got out.”