THE grandparents of the children involved in a devastating house fire in Porlock have thanked everyone for their support after offers of help came from as far away as America. They told the Free Press that while their son and his family were struggling to come to terms with what happened, the support they had received had exceeded all their expectations. "It truly does give you back faith in people. It's been overwhelming," they said. The family of seven - which includes twin six-year-old girls, an eight-year-old boy and two older teenaged girls - and their neighbour lost everything when their homes were gutted. One man was taken to hospital with burns to his hands. The blaze started in a three-storey property in Sparkhayes Lane at 8am last Friday morning. Firefighters from Porlock, Minehead and Lynton were initially sent to the scene and requested back-up with additional crews sent from Lynton and Combe Martin. Within an hour the fire had spread to the family of seven's rented home next door. Firefighters called for additional back-up and remained at the scene throughout the day. In a letter to the Free Press, the parents of the children said: "On behalf of the families affected we would like to send our thanks to all the emergency services, especially the wonderful fire service for all their help, care and attention in dealing with the awful fire that devastated two properties in Porlock on Friday morning. "The support they have given us has exceeded all our expectations. "Thanks to the local cafes and restaurants who made copious cups of tea and coffee for everyone throughout the day. "We would also like to send our thanks to our families, friends and the wonderful communities of Porlock, Minehead and surrounding areas, without which we could not have managed to get our lives back to some sort of normality so quickly. "Your generosity in donating clothes, furniture, electrical items, toys and money is beyond belief." Before the blaze was even out, Porlock residents were rallying around to do what they could to help. Offers of clothes, toiletries and toys soon started flooding in, either through family friends or via complete strangers using social media. Liz Dearne offered to auction off a cherished gold and diamond ring to raise money, another well-wisher donated a washing machine and shoes came from the Original Factory Shop in Minehead. A car boot sale at 21 Park Avenue Food Court in Minehead raised £165 for everyone affected by the fire, with another sale planned this weekend to boost the total even further. Porlock Tourist Association organised collecting buckets in business throughout Porlock, while donations boxes also appeared further afield. Elke Winzer set up a direct online donation appeal using Paypal and her website http://www.exmoor4all.com">www.exmoor4all.com and is planning an online auction to ensure the money keeps rolling in. Prizes already donated include a canvas print of an Exmoor panorama by Peter French, a two night B and B stay at Hindon Organic Farm courtesy of Penny and Roger Webber and a VIP stay at The Cafe in Porlock Weir with a champagne cream tea, five-course seafood taster menu and wine flight and a night in a junior suite with views over the bay. The family added: "Help and support has gone global, too, with contributions coming from as far away as America. "Although we are still in temporary accommodation at present, we hope to be back in Porlock soon. "Again, we cannot thank everyone enough and although we have lost all our material things, we are all safe and well, for which we are eternally grateful. "Thank you again to everyone involved in helping us." A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority said both the Environment Agency and local council building control officers had been made aware of the incident. Firefighters helped to salvage what they could from the remains of the homes and investigations were carried out into the cause. It is widely believed to have been started accidentally. A spokesman said: "The original property suffered 80 per cent damage by fire and the remaining 20 per cent was damaged by smoke, heat and water. "The adjoining property suffered 30 per cent damage by fire with the remaining 70 per cent damaged by heat, smoke and water. "The cause of the fire is unknown."