A COMMUNITY has rallied together to help an Oxfordshire family who were left with nothing after their house went up in flames.

Natasha Smith and her husband and four children from Fritwell, near Bicester, were devastated to find out that their house had caught fire on October 14, destroying their belongings.

The family were not in the house when the blaze happened and were therefore unharmed, but their dog was rescued and required smoke inhalation treatment.

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After being put up in two hotel rooms, the Smiths are now living in temporary housing until a larger home becomes available.

A GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family has raised more than £3,000 to help them fix their home and replace items lost.

Mrs Smith said: “I was absolutely hysterical to start with. I received a phone call from a neighbour who said the fire brigade were at the house and that our dog was safe.

"I'd hate to work out how much we've lost. My husband and I have been married for 11 years and we had spent a lot of time and money decorating the house, getting new furniture and getting it all done up the way we wanted.

"Now we're back to where we started."

Mrs Smith's contents insurance had lapsed for several months and so none of her belongings were covered, except her cooker which had its own insurance.

The 35-year-old said: "Life just got in the way and I didn't get round to sorting it out. Please make sure you get contents insurance instead of saying 'oh, I'll do that later'. It's not too expensive either.

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"If I had, I wouldn't have to ask people for help - it would have replaced my belongings.

"We can’t say thank you enough to our friends, family and Fritwell/Banbury and wider community for donating clothes, essential items, toiletries and money or simply being there for me to cry on.

"School has been fantastic at supporting our children and everyone else has held us up when we felt we were drowning."

To donate, go to www.gofundme.com.