A family has lost everything after a raging fire tore through their home, leaving just a blackened shell.

The blaze was so intense the roof, ceilings and walls of the house in Lazonby were destroyed.

Four fire crews were sent to the semi-detached house on Scarrow’s Lane and stopped the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes.

Apart from the clothes they were wearing, Naomi Tye, 34, Ric Armstrong, (CORR) 30, and their children Alfie Armstrong, six, and Olivia Armstrong, five, have lost all their belongings.

Miss Tye said: “At the end of the day, they’re only things and things can be replaced. We count our blessings. We have got young children and they weren’t in the house.”

Firefighters were called to the house just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Two engines from Penrith, one from Carlisle and one from Lazonby, which was under threat of closure until February, raced to the scene.

By the time they arrived, the two-storey house, where the family have lived for three years, was already well alight.

Firefighters used six breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets, a ceiling hook and a triple extension ladder in their efforts to control the fire.

Crews then tackled flames on the roof, using breathing apparatus and hose jets.

Miss Tye got a call while she was at work saying she had better get home because the house was on fire.

She works as the security manager at Center Parcs, Whinfell, Penrith, and said it was typical that her work uniform was all that survived of her clothes.

Mr Armstrong is a sports instructor and has lost all his equipment. Alfie and Olivia also lost all their clothes apart from their school uniforms.

Miss Tye said the children had already returned to school to keep a level of normality in their lives.

The family have moved in with Mr Armstrong’s parents, who also live in Lazonby.

Before the family even arrived, donations had started piling up on the doorstep and have continued to flood in.

The family’s neighbour, Sam Moulton, put a call out on Facebook for donations.

People have already said they will donate chairs and clothes and the family has received donations with notes from strangers.

Miss Tye said: “Thank you to Sam and everything she’s done. She’s just been absolutely amazing. We have been overwhelmed by the support we have had from the community.”

Firefighters are now investigating the cause of the fire in the house, which is owned by the Lazonby Estate.