MORE than £1,000 has been raised to help the victims of a major fire which destroyed a property near Exeter.
Justin and Claire Lush and their four children lost everything in the devastating fire at their home in Bradninch on July 23.
As the Echo revealed, Mr Lush was awoken by the smoke alarm to discover the fire which gutted his family home.
Two of the children were rescued from the blaze.
Four children, aged 10, six, four and nine, were with him in the house at around 2.45am on Tuesday.
A fundraising page has been launched online and currently stands at more than £1,100.
A message from the organisers on the site says: "Our friends and neighbours, Claire and Justin and their four children, lost everything in a devastating house fire.
"Thankfully no-one was seriously hurt but they have lost literally everything.
"Let's rally as a community and help them rebuild their home and belongings.
Fire station manager Nigel Deasy praised the actions of the family when the fire was discovered.
He said: "This was a severe fire with temperatures rising to in excess of 1,000C. I would like to congratulate the family for doing exactly the right thing when the fire occurred and having the early warning in place to alert them to the fire.
"At this time of night, and due to the severity of the fire, this incident could have had more severe consequences."
Fire officer Mal Swallow said the cause of the fire was not suspicious.
He said: "This fire shows that smoke alarms save lives."
Donations of clothes, shoes, toys and small household items are also being collected for the family.
To donate to the campaign set up to help the family visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/DonationsForThe LushFamily
