An investigation is under way to find out what caused a fire in an historic sheltered housing complex in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from all three Medway stations were called to The French Hospital Almshouses just off Rochester High Street at 1am.

A spokesman from Strood station said: "The fire was fully developed when we got there, flames were coming out of the windows."

He said the fire had burnt through the floor and ceiling in the ground floor room where it broke out.

"There was extensive damage through the flat," he added. "And water damage to the flat below."

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel jet and a main jet to tackle the flames, and a specialist fan to clear the smoke. The crews left around 4am.

He said a smoke alarm in a neighboring property alerted residents to the blaze.

Two men were treated for smoke inhalation.

The French Hospital was founded 300 years ago to provide support for Huguenot refugees fleeing the persecution of Protestants in Europe.

It moved to the site in Rochester in 1959 and the 19 terraced houses were restored and converted to 39 flats. The French Hospital now provides affordable sheltered accommodation, mainly for those of Huguenot descent.