A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched to help a family who has "lost everything" in a devastating house fire in Haxby, and within hours had raised thousands of pounds.

Five fire crews attended the scene of the blaze yesterday evening (Friday) on Garths End and tackled the flames after the house was struck by lightning, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire was reported to the service at around 8.15pm.

Now a GoFundMe page has been set up by Claire Brooks to help her ex-husband and his mother whose house was engulfed by fire.

She set the page up early this morning and by midday it had raised more than £6,000.

Claire said: "After a freak bolt of lightning struck my ex-husband and his mum’s house on Friday, none of us could have ever predicted what would happen next.

"The two-bed terraced house in Haxby was torched to the ground by a ferocious and merciless fire that took hold within minutes, causing the roof to collapse and every single room to be gutted.

"Thankfully, my ex-husband was out at the time, and his mum managed to escape."

She revealed that her young son had a lucky escape.

"What was quite remarkably fortunate was the fact that our two-year-old son had come to my apartment just hours before, and therefore wasn’t left tucked up in bed," Claire explained.

She added: "However, this family has lost everything. All they now have are the clothes on their backs. An inquiry needs to be made to discover whether or not their insurance covers force majeure, and therefore they need help financially.

"Not only do they need clothes, furniture, and a permanent roof over their heads, but our son’s lost all his clothes and toys of theirs too.

"Please donate to help this family in what was already a very difficult time for two self-employed individuals trying to earn a living during Covid-19."