Villagers formed a human chain in a bid to save what they could from a blazing thatch cottage fire today.
A fire broke out at the cottage in the village of Balscote near Banbury at around 10.30am and six fire crews were sent from around the county.
A crowd of villagers rallied toegther to help rescue the belongings from the home in Middle Lane.
Incident commander group manager Kerry Blair said: "Even though this village is in a very rural location on the edge of Oxfordshire the initial fire crews were on scene remarkably quickly.
"The fire crews were faced with a fire that was spreading very quickly and prioritised holding back the fire to enable the salvage operations to be undertaken.
"I have to say a special thanks the villagers’ of Balscote who showed real community spirit, they descended on the property within minutes and were a tremendous help with the salvage operations."
Fire crews will remain on scene for several hours damping down whilst fire investigators look into what started the blaze.
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