A pensioner was last night counting the cost of damage after a suspected arson attack on her home.

Carol Berry came home from a family birthday party in Devon on Monday night to find the home in Leiden Road, Wood Farm, where she has lived for the past three decades and raised her three children, on fire.

It was severely damaged and yesterday was still considered unsafe for her to go into to see how many of her possessions has been destroyed.

Mrs Berry, who is in her 60s, said: "You don't expect to go away for the weekend and come back and find your house on fire.

"We got back to the house at about 9.30pm and you could see the flames inside, so we called the fire brigade straight away.

"A window at the back of the house was broken, so it looks like someone has broken in and started the fire.

"At this stage, the police don't know if the fire was started deliberately or if it was a burglary that led to an accidental fire."

She added: "The hall and the kitchen appear to be in quite a bad state and we could be out for weeks, if not months.

"We won't be able to tell what has been destroyed or stolen until we are allowed into the house. I hope we are able to do that in the next few days."

Mrs Berry is also trying to find her Bengal cat Oscar, who was outside the house at the time of the blaze.

Mrs Berry, who worked for the county council's education department as an administrative assistant before she retired, said her friends had "rallied round" to help her.

She said: "We are staying with friends in Headington Quarry and have not been allowed back into the house because police are doing forensic tests. We also don't know yet if the structure of the building is safe.

"The council says it will give me temporary accommodation but I don't want to move permanently because I have lived here for 30 years and know lots of people living round here."

A 31-year-old was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of arson and has been released on police bail until November 25.

Det Con Matt Welsh, of Oxford CID, said: "The fire led to substantial damage to the property.

"It appears this arson may have started out as a burglary, but for obvious reasons the family have not been able to enter the property yet and we can’t confirm if anything has been stolen or not.

"I’d like to appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the Leiden Road area on Monday night to get in touch."

Fiona Colcutt, a spokesman for the city council, said: "When the police forensic team allow us access to the property we will send a surveyor to assess the damage.

"We will then be a position to know how long it will take to make good the damage, and to help Mrs Berry with any temporary accommodation requirements she may have."

Anyone with information has been asked to contact police on 08458 505505.

Meanwhile, a couple fled their burning cottage in the middle of the night yesterday after they smelt smoke.

Fire crews said the pair had a lucky escape from their home on the Ginge Manor Estate at East Ginge, near Wantage, when fire ripped through the roof of the property early on Thursday.