Watch: Devastation as family loses 'all their belongings' after lightning causes huge house fire

The house was among four which was alight after lightning struck in Kitchen Lane in Essington, near Wolverhampton, on Saturday evening.

Residents were evacuated from three of the homes, whilst the fourth was empty.

The Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed no-one was injured in the fires.

Now, a fundraiser has been set up to help Steve Force and his family, including partner Rachel Partridge, their three children and pet pooch Sky, who were affected by the fire.

The GoFundMe page, set up on the day following the blaze, had generated £4,858 of its £5,000 target as of Tuesday morning.

A statement on the page read: "Hi my name is Rachel Anne Lee and I’m raising money for my daughter's best friend's family.

"A wonderful kind caring family of six including their beautiful dog, Sky.

"On September 21, their family home was hit by lightning and they lost not only their home but all their personal and essential belongings.

"Please take a moment to think how grateful you are to have a roof over your head let alone losing all the content to your home.

"Even if £1 is all you have spare, the pennies makes the pounds and it all adds up. Every little helps."

Crews from both the West Midlands Fire Service and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were called to tackle the flames at about 9.10pm.

A spokesman for the SFRS said: "We worked to contain the fire at the scene and make sure everyone was safe. The gas and electric supply to the area was isolated while the fires were extinguished.

"Thankfully, no-one was injured. A thermal scan of the area was carried out in the early hours of the following morning to make sure no hotspots were left over."

A spokeswoman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said crews were not called to the fire.

To donate to the fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe page.