A YOUNG mother and her toddler son were dramatically rescued by firefighters when a blaze swept through their home.

When two fire crews arrived at the burning flat in St Andrew's Close, Whitstable, Paula Custen and her son Peter, two, were calling for help from the second storey, unable to get out of the building because the blaze was blocking their only escape route.

Firefighters put up a 46ft long ladder against the building and one of them carried the child to safety. They then helped Ms Custen to climb down the ladder. Now police have launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire, which started in the entrance hall between flats five and six.

Engines from Whitstable and Herne Bay attended the blaze at 12.45pm on Friday. Whitstable station commander Simon Smith said the control operators processed the call in 33 seconds and the engine left the Borstal Hill station seconds later, arriving at the flat three minutes after that.