Flames erupt from the roof of the building. Picture: Sam Millen

by Sam Lennon

Firefighters are damping down at the scene of a massive fire that ripped through two town centre properties.

Flames erupted in a flat above a shop in The Old High Street, Folkestone, but spread into the roof void of a neighbouring flat.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus battled to stop the blaze reaching a third property in the compact terrace of business and upper floor flats.

About 70 firefighters had tackling the blaze since late this morning.

Firefighters tackling the blaze in Folkestone from rooftops.

Fire officer Nick James said: "On arrival, crews were presented with a severe and quickly developing fire.

"They got to work immediately and worked hard to tackle it and stop it from spreading further."

The blaze broke out just before 11am today in the Creative Quarter, the town's arts hub.

It was believed to have originally started in the roofspace and second floor of a building containing flats and the Centre for Peace bookshop.

Fire crews tackle the blaze in Folkestone

As the drama began unfolding, witnesses could see flames tearing a huge hole through roof.

Ten fire engines and other vehcles had just enough space to make it through the narrow street in an area redeveloped with flats, galleries and the nearby Quarterhouse theatre.

Witness Gillian White, who lives opposite the scene, said: “I saw smoke coming out of the building and then about 10 minutes later there was an enormous fireball out of the roof. The tiles were flying off.

"Thank God they managed to get it under control and it hasn't spread to any more buildings."

The incident was reduced to an attendance of five Kent Fire and Rescue Service engines by 3.30pm.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but nobody was injured.

Are you affected by the fire? Leave your comments below and email your pictures to multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk.