A FAMILY lost their most treasured possessions after flames ripped through their home.

Billowing smoke and flames could be seen shooting from the top of the semi-detached house in Brent Way, Dartford, on Sunday evening.

The inferno destroyed many precious mementos belonging to the Elmer family, including their daughter’s university course work, the children’s old toys, a collection of Arsenal Football Club programmes dating back to the Nineties and a complete Subbuteo collection.

But Linda, her husband Paul and their son Steve, 22, say they are just glad to be alive.

Mrs Elmer, 56, and her son had been watching television, while her husband was asleep upstairs.

It was only when Steve, a roofer, popped outside and looked up that he saw flames leaping out of the fascia and tiles.

He yelled to his mum to get out before running upstairs to wake his dad. They saw flames spouting from the loft hatch door and into the bathroom as they ran for cover.

Steve then raced next door to tell their neighbours, who have two young children, to get out of their home.

Mrs Elmer said: “I was scared, I was screaming ‘my house, my house’. You always think it happens to other people, not to you.”

Besides losing family treasures, the blaze also destroyed the family’s bathroom and a hall carpet which was laid less than a year ago. The roof beams will also have to be replaced.

Mrs Elmer, a teaching assistant, said: “It’s those things you can not replace that have been destroyed. You put those things up in the loft because you think they will be safe.”

It is thought an electrical fault started the fire.

Ten firefighters from Dartford were called by the family’s neighbour.

Mr Elmer, 58, said: “The fire service were absolutely brilliant. I have to say you find out there are nice people in the world when something like this happens.”

The fire broke out at around 9.30pm and it took firefighters an hour and a half to put out the blaze.