An elderly man’s home was destroyed by fire last night and neighbours are now desperately appealing for help from the community after he lost everything.

A devastated diabetic pensioner lost all his essential medication and possessions in the blaze which gutted his terraced home in De’Arn Gardens, Mitcham, last night.

His next door neighbour Naomi Hardman is appealing for help from the community and contacted the Wimbledon Guardian to ask for advice.

She came home last night to see firefighters cordoning off part of the road and initially thought it was her house on fire.

Miss Hardman said: "It was horrible.

"I was walking down the street and thought it was my house, where my son was in, but it was next door."

She said her neighbour, who she knows as Dennis, is in his seventies and lives with his nephew.

"I feel so sorry for him.

"He’s a pensioner and doesn’t have much money to replace everything," she added.

She is appealing for money and donations to help him out.

Fire crews confined the fire to the first floor of the property, which was badly damaged by the blaze at about 6.30pm. Fortunately, no one was injured.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: "The house was empty when the fire broke out but there were no smoke alarms fitted.

"Having a working smoke alarm is absolutely essential. Not only do they provide vital early warning and buy you extra time to escape if there is a fire in your own home, they also warn your neighbours that a fire has started.

"Every home should have at least one and they should be checked regularly."

Four fire engines and 20 fire fighters and officers from Mitcham, Wimbledon, Norbury and Purley fire stations attended and brought the fire under control by 7.37pm.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is thought the fire began after an electrical fault in a computer workstation.

Can you help Dennis? Call the Wimbledon Guardian newsdesk on 020 8722 6336.