A couple have told how they lost everything in a devastating fire but have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity to help them get back on their feet.

Doug and Natasha Wilson and their two children, James and Connie, had to flee their home in Broadway, Gillingham, last Tuesday after a blaze broke out in Connie’s bedroom.

The fire, which seems to have been caused by a faulty electrical socket, caught three-year-old Connie’s teddy bears alight and quickly spread.

The family lost all their clothing and the children lost all their toys, but have been overwhelmed by people’s kindness after a social media post by a friend resulted in donations of clothes, toys, furniture and even a new bed.

Mrs Wilson and Connie, along with James, seven, had just got up and were downstairs eating breakfast when they heard a high-pitched screeching coming from upstairs and the fire alarm going off.

Mr Wilson, 43, who was still in bed as he was feeling poorly, got up to investigate.

He said: “Connie’s teddy was alight on the end of her bed and I shouted down to Natasha to get out with the children.

“I picked it up and put it in the bathroom to put water on it to try to stop the fire.”

Mr Wilson tried to go back into his daughter’s bedroom to extinguish the flames, but the curtains in the room had now caught alight and he was overcome by smoke and fled the property.

The drama began at about 7am and firefighters were on the scene within minutes and were quickly able to put out the flames.

Mr Wilson was given oxygen treatment by firefighters until paramedics arrived and was then taken to Medway Maritime Hospital for further treatment but was discharged later that day.

He said: “My face was black and I had to be on oxygen all day, but I’d like to thank the doctors and nurses, they were brilliant.”

Mrs Wilson, 36, a nursing auxiliary at the Gillingham hospital, was comforted by neighbours. A Red Cross victim support team also gave them some clothes to wear.

Most of the upper floor was smoke-damaged, while Connie’s bedroom and part of the bathroom were damaged by fire.