A man has described the moment he kicked a door down during a house fire which made a family homeless.

Cameron Wilkinson, 31, from Woodingdean said "adrenaline took over" when he and a neighbour kicked down a front door during a house fire in Netherfield Green.

The fire made a family homeless, and pets - including cats and dogs - died in the blaze.

The Argus: Cameron WilkinsonCameron Wilkinson (Image: Cameron Wilkinson)

Cameron, who is a builder, said: "I was just waiting for the bus when I turned around and saw the plumes of smoke."

His "fight or flight" mode kicked in, he said.

"I ran around the corner where me and another young lad kicked the door through as we didn't know if there was any children inside.

"The heat was just so intense."

Neighbours said they watched as he was pushed back by the heat, and could see flames on the other side of the door.

Cameron does not know his fellow hero who helped him kick the door down, however he said he "seemed like a nice lad".

"It all happened so quickly," he said.

The Argus: The family say they have lost all of their possessions in the fire.The family say they have lost all of their possessions in the fire. (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

The community has pulled together and raised over £6,000 for the family.

Cameron said: "You do what you can for your neighbours, we stick together."

Neighbours quickly rallied to help the affected family, offering food, clothing and money to help them get back on their feet. Flowers have been placed outside the gutted property.

Shannon Boarer, who lives in Netherfield Green where the fire happened, said: "It's so devastating, it's horrendous. You just can't believe that something like that could have happened, so as a community, I'm amazed by what everyone has done."

Residents took to local Facebook groups to see what help they could offer to the family.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called to the property at 3.10pm on Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the service said: "Everyone who lived at the house was accounted for and there are no reports of people being injured. The exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed at this stage but it is being treated as accidental."