A pensioner's home has been destroyed in a freak accident fire - after light beaming through her kitchen window hit a glass paperweight, it is claimed.

Jane Moore, 70, was working at her local charity shop when someone told her there were four fire engines outside her home in Cliftonville, Kent.

She rushed to the property - terrified for her cats - but was told she could not enter.

The former foster mum watched in horror as firefighters tackled the blaze for two and a half hours - before smashing through her roof to check for any remaining damage.

Now, Ms Moore's home has been left with a gaping hole in the roof, walls covered in soot, and windows and furniture completely charred.

She says the fire, which she says started spontaneously after sunlight hit a glass paperweight, has left her feeling "broken"."

Discussing the moment she heard about the fire, Ms Moore said: "It felt like my whole world was falling apart. "

"I just dropped everything and ran across the road. "

"I was worried about the cats, but they said, ‘No, you can't go in. You have to wait.'"

"We could just see black smoke billowing out of the house." "

When Ms Moore was allowed back in her house, she was shocked by the damage.

She said: "Everywhere was dark. "

"I looked at the ceiling, and the plasterboard had started falling down."

"Everything in the bedroom was burnt."

After the fire, Ms Moore's two cats - Shema and Fivo - were initially nowhere to be found.

She desperately searched and called for them, but it wasn't until the next day that Fivo emerged from a bedroom where she had been hiding.

The room had had its door closed at the time of the fire, meaning it was almost unscathed.

Shortly after, Shema also came home.

Since the blaze on April 28, Ms Moore, who has fostered 12 children at the house, has been scrubbing her walls herself everyday.

She did not have home insurance - and so is having to pay for repairs herself.

However, members of her community have come together to help - even setting up a fundraiser.

Ms Moore said: "The support, especially at the beginning, was absolutely like arms wrapped around me."

Friends gave her a place to sleep, shops have donated materials, and strangers have offered to help clear out her ruined belongings.

Explaining why she did not have home insurance, Ms Moore said: "I cancelled it about five years ago."

"I've been looking after my disabled brother on carer's allowance for about 13 years."

"When Liz Truss started hiking up the interest rate, my mortgage went from £500 a month to £1,000."

"I was able to remortgage and got it down to £800, but I just didn't know how I was going to afford it."

The GoFundMe, set up by Junior Job, says that any donations will go towards emergency repairs, replacing damaged appliances, restoring the kitchen and bedroom, and making Ms Moore's home "safe and liveable" again. "

Junior Job wrote: "Jane is a kind and hardworking person who would never ask for help unless it was truly needed."

"Now, she needs her community more than ever."

You can donate to the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jane-rebuild-her-home-after-devastating-fire