NEIGHBOURS are rallying round a Taunton family who lost everything in a devastating fire.

Jerri Bosley had to be rescued by firefighters after being stuck in an upstairs bedroom as the fire broke out and Tegan, aged 17, who was in the garden on Wednesday lunchtime (August 3).

A cleaner who was downstairs in the house at the time had managed to rush out of the front door.

Jerri,37, said the blaze in the rented property was caused by an unattended candle.

She added: "The cleaner shouted to me and T. J., 'There's a fire'.

"I ran downstairs. It didn't look horrendous, so I ran back upstairs to grab my phone to call the fire brigade.

"But by the time I got back upstairs, the smoke was so thick on the stairs so I couldn't exit my room. It happened in seconds.

"I could hear blood-curdling screams coming out of my son's room, but there was nothing I could do to get to him."

All the time, Jerri was on the phone to "the most wonderful" woman, Donna, at the fire control centre, who actually lived a few doors away and visited Jerri and her children later in the day.

Jerri said: "At that point, all the windows started exploding downstairs. My son's window blew out. I was shouting instructions to him, but he couldn't hear because of the explosions.

"T. J. was lucky that we've got an extension Tegan was in the garden below and talked him out of the window."

Jerri was hanging out of her window and was relived when firefighters arrived and helped her down their ladder.

The family's three cats escaped - a kitten has been taken on by a neighbour and Jerri returns to feed one of the cats each day, although the other one is missing.

Jerri and T. J. were checked over at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital for smoke inhalation.

She added: "I'm OK now, but I'm covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises."

The family have since been put up in a hotel in the town.

Tegan has lost all her possessions, while Jerri has lost many items of sentimental value, including all her family photos.

"Tegan can't sleep, She's really struggling," said Jerri, who recently left her job at Musgrove due to health reasons.

"All I've got left are my clothes. We're going to have to start from scratch again because we weren't insured.

"I've got no money coming in because I applied for Universal Credit when I lost my job and it takes weeks to come through."

A Just Giving page has been set up to raise funds to support Jerri and her family - you can donate HERE.

READ MORE: Woman rescued from devastating fire.