A TAVISTOCK family has been left heartbroken following a fire that devastated their home on Monday (November 25) but say they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community.

Vicki Piper-Smith and her family suffered a huge loss when a fire took hold in a section of their home at Greenlands and not only destroyed most of their possessions but resulted in the death of their beloved dog Lexi.

At around 8am on Monday numerous calls were made to fire control from members of the public stating that an outbuilding attached to a property had smoke issuing from it. On arrival crews from Tavistock and Yelverton confirmed that the outbuilding was on fire but that it had not spread to the main building but that smoke was coming from both. Crews requested a further fire appliance which was mobilised from Bere Alston.

Western Power attended and isolated electric supplies and The British Red Cross provided support for the family.

After the incident Vicki said on social media the whole family was ‘devastated’ but wanted to thank everyone who has offered help and assistance: ‘I have been totally overwhelmed.’

She added: ‘Just want to say a huge thank you to everybody for your love and support following the tragic events which have unfolded.

‘Thank you to Tavistock fire service for their amazing response, you truly went above and beyond; my neighbours — I couldn’t ask for better friends; total strangers who, without a hesitation, spent time comforting and assisting; my family, you really are amazing; the Red Cross who came down from Exeter to assist.

‘It’s going to be a long process and the house is gutted, but like the phoenix we will rise from the flames. RIP Lexi, we will never forget you.’

Tavistock Fire Station officer Nathan McCarter said: ‘It’s a difficult time of year coming up to Christmas. The impact this has on a family is always difficult to see. The crews involved did an amazing job in saving this property and prevented the fire from spreading.

‘They managed to keep the fire damage to a minimum and consequently the fire affected the ground floor utility room. This said the house is severely smoke damaged throughout.

‘The home owner was extremely helpful in the difficult and upsetting circumstances by assisting with the fire service in location of hazards within the building for fire crews to be aware of.

‘This was a rapid fire from point of ignition. Fire crews were quick to knock back flames and reduce the fire spread. This was helped by Tavistock’s second appliance which proves a valuable asset during days.’

The cause of the fire is still unknown.