A family with young children have “lost everything” after a devastating house fire in Letchworth last week – and now the community is rallying together to raise money for food and clothes.

A GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of Leanna Hamilton and five of her children after their home in Jackmans Place caught alight last Sunday. Fire engines from Letchworth, Baldock and Stevenage were sent to the fire which happened between 3pm and 4pm.

Leanna told the Comet: “We’ve lost everything due to the smoke damage – the kids have just got what they were wearing.

“They don’t know yet what caused it and won’t be able to find out until mid-November and until then I won’t be able to go back to the property to see what I can salvage.

“There’s nothing I can do, I’m absolutely stuck, I don’t have anything and can’t do anything about it.

“If it was in the night time we could have all died. I’m a mother of six so I’m so vigilant and switch everything off, the fire service have said this wasn’t caused by anyone in the house.”

Leanna – who has children aged 13, 12, six, three and seven months, and a 20-year-old who doesn’t live with her – said while she was waiting for the fire crews to arrive, she didn’t know just how much damage the blaze caused.

“I was confused as to why people started bringing me clothes because I didn’t know the severity of it,” she said.

“The whole kitchen was melted. It took me years to get that house and within 10 minutes its all gone.”

Leanna and her children have been placed in emergency accommodation in Hitchin and do not know how long it will take for repairs to be done on the house

She said: “If it could take up to a year to go back to that house, I will have to move my children again. They need some normality.

“I didn’t know about the GoFundMe page until friends told me, and it’s absolutely brilliant that people are trying to help us.”

Michael Elias, who set up the fundraising page on Leanna’s behalf, said: “The reasons for all the community work I do is for that simple fact, community.

“I’ve always felt that this area of Letchworth pulls together in times of need, showing a strong community spirit.”

The goal is to raise £2,000 for Leanna and her family. To donate, go to gofundme.com/hpsxvx-house-fire-fund-raiser.