AN appeal has been launched to help a family who have been left with nothing after a fire devastated their home.

Firefighters raced to the scene in Jena Close, Shoebury to tackle the blaze before spreading through to their neighbour’s roof.

The fire started after a pile of rubbish in the garden caught alight, before it spread and completely destroyed the Sexton family’s home – along with everything inside.

Speaking of his family’s anguish, Ross Sexton said: “They have nothing left – my sister Poppy literally has her dressing gown and the cats, and my dad lost his phone in the fire. All their clothes, the furniture in every single room and just everything is gone. All that’s left is bricks and ash.”

Ross has set up a GoFundMe page to raise as much as possible in support of the family and their neighbour, with funds being split between the two.

He told the Echo how the flames got so high they reached the roof.

He added: “My dad, John, has his room next to the garden and so he started to smell smoke before realising there was a fire.

“Dad raced to wake up my sister and told her ‘we need to get out’.

“She said she could see the flames towering over the upstairs bathroom window so she grabbed the cats as fast as she could and escaped.

“Luckily, neither of them were hurt but the house is ready to crumble.

“I woke up to a phone call from their neighbour at 6.20am to let me know what happened, and I was honestly in such shock.”

The 21-year-old from Swindon, added: “I’m living with mum, so I feel helpless where I can’t be there to hug them, so this is the least I can do to show my support. It still feels like a dream and has all been so surreal.

“Thankfully the council has been brilliant and have put them in a hotel on the seafront, looking to house them as soon as they can.

To donate: www.gofundme.com/f/knw7a5