Video: Family loses 'everything' in lightning strike fire that's left house destroyed

Sarah Powell lost "everything" from furniture to her children's birth certificates in the blaze, involving her house and three others, on Kitchen Lane in Essington, near Wolverhampton, at around 9pm on September 21.

The 42-year-old was driving back home to her three daughters after spending time with her sister when she received a call from her neighbour to say the property was in flames.

Sarah, who has lived in Kitchen Lane for 16 years, said: "I ran towards the house, I didn't know what happened. Someone grabbed my by the arm and pulled me back and said [the children] were out and sitting in the neighbour's car.

"Then we just had to stand there and watch the house burn down for four hours. There was nothing we could do."

A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the scene at about 9.10pm and confirmed no one was injured in the fire.

Sarah said it is likely she won't be able to move back into her home for 12 months as a result of the devastation left behind.

Pictures show the extent of the damage to the property where inside, destroyed furniture lies among rubble, while large sheets cover the roofs of the affected properties.

She added: "We lost everything, we left the house with a carrier bag. Everything that isn't burnt has water damage. My older daughter managed to get some clothes out of her room because the door was closed but that was it really.

"I lost all my things that were in the loft, all of the baby pictures, all things from the [children's] first Christmas' and birth certificates."

The family are now sharing one bedroom in a nearby hotel along with their pet pooch Dotty, which Sarah said is getting "smaller every day".

In the days following the blaze, an online fundraiser with a £20,000 goal was set up to help the family replaced what they had lost in the fire.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Just Giving Page page had raised more than £5,500, which Sarah said will help go towards refurnishing their home when they can finally move back in.

She said: "I was overwhelmed to see how many people had donated. If we get our house back, that's when I am going to need it for carpets, everything from top to bottom and just to furnish where we end up in the mean time."

A separate fundraiser was also launched for Steve Force and his family, who live next-door to Sarah and also suffered damage to their home after the lightning strike.

To donate to the Just Giving Page to support Sarah and her family, people can visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/debbie-woodley-1?