VILLAGERS and the wider community have rallied to support a family who lost everything when a huge fire ripped through two homes in Oake, near Wellington.

More than £2,300 has been raised from 59 donations to an online GoFundMe appeal started after the blaze in Oake Close on July 17.

Leah Willson, aged 23, said she and her mother and two sisters managed to flee their house as the flames took a grip just after 9.15 pm that night.

Ms Willson said: “The fire started in a neighbour’s garden and quickly started spreading to both houses, leaving my family to act fast, getting themselves and the pets out.

“Thankfully, nobody was physically harmed, but after losing almost everything I would really appreciate any form of donation for my family.”

Ms Willson said the house had been the family home for 15 years and she had lived there since she was 10 years old.

Firefighters from 12 stations were called to Oake to deal with this blaze.
Firefighters from 12 stations were called to Oake to deal with this blaze. (DSFR)

Firefighters from 12 stations across Somerset and Devon attended the incident at its height, including Wellington, Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Bridgwater, Dulverton, Bampton, Cullompton, Tiverton, Street, Williton, Ilminster, and Martock.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) spokesperson said the crews were initially met with a situation involving challenges in securing a water supply, a rapid fire growth, gas cylinders, and a gas mains, as well as falling embers.

However, they managed to contain the fire and prevent it spreading thanks to ‘lots of hard and sweaty work’.

The fire was the first major challenge for volunteers with Oake’s recently-formed community emergency response team (CERT), who were supported by parish councillors.

They helped evacuate neighbours to the nearby Oake, Bradford and Nynehead Primary School to be looked after while the firefighting operation was ongoing.

The DSFR spokesperson said: “It was great to see the community working and supporting each other together.”