TWO boys had a lucky escape early today when their bedroom caught light after one of them was playing with matches.

It was only when their mother heard her children's screams that she rushed into the bedroom to rescue them and pulled them out of the house to safety.

The fire broke out at the terraced house in Sturla Road, Chatham, soon after 6am. Firefighters were told a four-year-old child had been playing with matches in a room he shared with his nine-year-old brother.

The bedding caught light and the blaze rapidly spread. The bedroom door was shut so the smoke alarm outside did not pick up the blaze.

The mother got her children out of bed and down the stairs. The family was outside when firefighters from Medway fire station arrived. Leading firefighter Dave Devine said: "The blaze was very severe. When we arrived, the fire was billowing out of the window.

"A crew with breathing apparatus entered the building and prevented the fire from going into the roof. There was smoke damage everywhere and there was serious fire damage to the bedroom. They had a lucky escape. It was fortunate it happened towards the end of the night when everyone was waking up."

Mr Devine praised the mother for her quick thinking and stressed how important it was to have smoke alarms in children's bedrooms.