A dad has told of the "nightmare" moment a fire took hold in his family home.

Daniel Friend says he is still in shock 24 hours after the major blaze caused thousands of pounds of damage.

The fire started as the 45-year-old, who was working nights, was asleep in the loft conversion of his home in Weston Road, Strood, around 3pm yesterday.

Smelling burning, he went downstairs to ask his wife Jo if she had noticed anything – then the smoke alarms started ringing and the panic set in.

The CCTV operator called the fire service which attended with four engines and a height vehicle.

He said: "I am a bit in shock still. It has gutted the top two floors.

"It has been a nightmare. You do not expect something like this to happen."

The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault between the top two floors, tore through the ceilings and floor, leaving just the wood beams in their place.

Thankfully nobody was hurt and both the family's dogs and their cat were rescued.

Mr Friend says "it was quite upsetting" as he watched his 11-year-old daughter Megan emerge with only a bonsai tree.

Almost everything else has been damaged, including clothes, personal items, jewellery and beds.

He added: "Hopefully going shopping will cheer her up. Her room is really destroyed."

He pointed to their car which was parked outside in the narrow residential street saying everything they had left was in there.

The fire took around three hours to put out, leaving only rubble and debris in its wake.

There is also significant water damage to their downstairs' ceiling.

The only rooms not to be affected were the kitchen and cellar but the family home has been left with no power or water making it "un-liveable".

The Friends are staying with family members while they await news from the insurance company as to what their next moves should.

But Daniel says it will be difficult to re-locate as they have two dogs.

He said: "These things happen. It was out the blue."

But he is urging people to check their electrics and have their homes re-wired if they have not been done for a long time.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service was there until 7pm.

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