More than £200 has already been raised and furniture donated to a 71 year-old man made homeless after a devastating house fire last night.

Hours after the Wimbledon Guardian reported on the devastating house fire which meant Dennis Issory lost everything, donations and offers of support have been flooding in.

Mr Issory, a retired psychiatric nurse, popped out to go shopping yesterday evening and by the time he got back an hour later, his terraced home was gutted by fire.

He arrived home to find 20 fire fighters tackling the blaze at his De’Arn Gardens Home in Mitcham where he has lived for 22 years.

From this morning: Urgent plea for help from neighbours after house fire destroys elderly man's home

Neighbours have been rallying round today, and have already collected more than £200 for the pensioner, organised a free skip to begin the clear up, had furniture donated to him and made moves to get emergency housing for him.

Members of the public have called and emailed the Wimbledon Guardian with offers of sofa beds, wardrobes, chairs, tables as well as cash and man-power to help out the divorced pensioner.

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

Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh was alerted to the plight of Mr Issory by the Wimbledon Guardian, and immediately offered to contact him to organise emergency housing.

A tearful Mr Issory, who lived with his nephew and his nephew’s girlfriend in the home for 22 years, said he was a mess.

He said: “My bedroom has gone, my bathroom has gone, everything’s gone.

“Downstairs wasn’t as bad.

“I went shopping in Tooting and came back and I couldn’t get into my road – there were ambulances and fire engines.”

He is staying at his ex-wife’s home temporarily. Four fire engines and 20 firefighters 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’s thought the fire began after an electrical fault in a computer workstation.

Can you help Dennis? Contact Miss Hardman on 07463 389 166 or call the Wimbledon Guardian newsdesk on 020 8722 6336.