A FAMILY whose new home was destroyed by fire have praised the volunteer firefighters who saved their possessions.

The Perry family’s Bicester bungalow caught fire on Thursday at about 4.30pm – less than a week after they moved in.

And the town’s retained firefighters worked for almost 12 hours to put out the blaze in Fleming Close and salvage what they could.

Graham Perry, 31, moved in with his parents Nick, 59, and Margaret Perry, 58, last weekend.

He said firefighters rescued a box of photograph albums, personal possessions, and Mrs Perry’s ornament collection.

He said: “They saved some of the most important things to us.

“I have never met a team so enthusiastic to help us as a family to save our belongings.

“Rather than going to a job and putting a fire out and going off, they actually cared about what was going on with our lives.

“You could see they were tired from their day jobs but they pulled together to do the job.”

But he said the family had been left devastated by the blaze, adding: “It just looks like a bomb site, it is absolutely horrendous.”

Mr Perry thought the fire had been caused by an electrical problem in the attic.

The family are now in a caravan but are hoping to sort out temporary accommodation soon.

It could be months before they can return to home.