A family have been "left with nothing" after a fire ravaged their home, wiping out every room and destroying precious possessions.

The blaze - ignited by an overheating phone charger - took hold at a semi-detached house in Herne Bay Road, Sturry, on Friday morning.

Having started in a bedroom, the flames spread across the top floor before the ceiling caved in and severely damaged the ground floor.

Fire crews, who battled the blaze for hours after being called out at about 11.30am, managed to prevent it from spreading to the neighbouring property.

However, they could not save the home where the fire originated from crumbling.

Jamie-Leigh Etherington, who lived with her family in Sturry for 11 years before moving out three months ago, says the impact of the fire is hard to comprehend.

"It's just absolutely devastating," the mum-of-one said.

"The worst thing is knowing that the house has gone. We all have so many memories from there, but can't return.

"I can't go back at the moment as it's too hard.

"It's so horrible - we've lost basically everything. We're left with literally nothing aside from a fridge freezer - it's insane.

"It's caused £200,000 worth of damage, and that's without the cost of all the possessions lost.

"My 14-year-old brother has lost his whole bedroom and all he now has is the clothes he has on his body.

"I think the house needs to come down. We're still waiting for surveyors to come round but the house is pretty much destroyed, especially the top floor."

Now without a home, Miss Etherington's family are temporarily living in her Broomfield flat and in a caravan stored at the fire-ravaged Sturry house.

A long-term solution for her mum and three brothers' living arrangements is not yet known.

The blaze took hold after a phone charger - left plugged in with no one at home - overheated.

"Loads of people just leave chargers on if they go out, it's a normal thing for everyone to do," Miss Etherington added.

"But just don't do it, don't leave them on. One charger has caused all of this.

"We'd left the house at about 11am and then just 20 minutes later it was burning.

"Thankfully no one was in at the time, that was incredibly lucky.

"The house is covered by home insurance, but there isn't any contents insurance for all of the things lost."

In an effort to raise some much-needed cash for the family, Miss Etherington has started a GoFundMe page.

Having launched on Saturday, it has so far raised £3,300.

"It's so nice that people have been donating - it shows people care and is lovely," Miss Etherington said.

"I'm not asking for much, just enough to get my family back on their feet."

To donate to the fundraiser, click here.

Safety advice from Kent Fire and Rescue states how chargers should "never" be left unsupervised or on overnight.

"Always charge items in a well-ventilated area and left uncovered to prevent risk of overheating," the advice reads.

"If you have children or teenagers remember to make sure they do not charge their phones in beds or under pillows."