A mother says she's been unable to sleep since a fire destroyed her family's home because she sees the flames whenever she closes her eyes.

At least 30 people have been made homeless, including mum-of-two Naomi Nwagbara, when the fire ripped through her top floor flat on St Mary's Island last week.

Residents believe it was caused by a problem with one of the solar panels on the roof. A fire service investigation confirmed it started due to an electrical fault.

Naomi was in the flat at about 1.30pm on Thursday when she says she heard a "flickering noise" but heard no alarms.

It was only when she saw the flames she knew something was wrong and had to get out.

"I thought it wasn't happening. I was in shock," Naomi said.

"If I'd woken up that day and be told my place would go down in flames I would have not believed it.

"What if I had been sleeping at night with my children? There was no alarm.

"I literally didn't know there was a fire until I saw it with my own two eyes.

"I had my boy with me and had to grab him and just run for my life."

Ten fire engines were sent but firefighters were unable to save the flats on the top floor of the five-storey building.

By 3.15pm the fire was out but the area was full of acrid smoke after flames burst through windows with glass shattering to the ground.

An unlikely hero, homeless man Matt Landa who was bird watching in the area, helped rescue two elderly residents from the burning block.

Naomi, her two children, aged five and six, and her partner have been left homeless. The stress is causing them all sleepless nights.

She added: "If I closed my eyes, all I could see was my kids screaming and crying. It's really traumatising and I haven't had any sleep because I can't close my eyes. When I sleep for an hour I jump up if I hear any noise in the roof.

"What I saw on that day, it's nothing I would wish on anyone.

"We created memories there and haven't known anywhere else. We moved in four years ago and the kids have the school right next to home, it gives them a sense of comfort that they're safe.

"But this is all crumbling and falling apart. I don't know where to start. Everything is gone, everything we ever owned is gone."

Thousands of pounds have been raised for residents affected by the fire to help buy clothing and support them with accommodation as they try to find somewhere to live.

Melissa Ballard, 36, said residents were "left to make do" for themselves following the blaze and she and her son were forced to sleep on the floor at a friend's house for two nights.

"We had nowhere to go. The council finally contacted us on Monday – nothing on Friday or the weekend.

"We've had to go out and buy clothes and eat out or takeaways.

"For the first few days I couldn't stop crying with the shock of it all. It's knocked everybody for six.

"Nobody can fully engage how you cope when you've lost everything.

"I've just started a new business and it was all in there."

Melissa, who is at the Holiday Inn in Rochester, says she and her 15-year-old son can stay there until September 25 but will then have to find a new home.

"It's been terrible and awful. My son has come home to no possessions.

"Nobody at the council has phoned and asked how we are doing or if we have enough food. The situation has been a joke.

"The only people who have, come from the community and residents' association."

Melissa, whose flat on one of the lower floors was badly damaged by water used to put out the fire, added she had been able to get into the building on Friday morning thanks to firefighters.

But property managers who were due to visit residents on Monday failed to arrive, Melissa said, meaning few have been able to recover treasured possessions.

The community spirit shown by islanders has been welcomed with Naomi and Melissa saying they would have been lost without the support.

A fundraising page has raised more than £4,200 and donations of clothes, food and toys has also helped.

Naomi added: "We've only been lucky to have the community support us in terms of clothing, food and a little bit of finance.

"Especially for me as a tall lady, it's difficult getting something in my size, so I have to buy them, so getting support from the community has been amazing.

"The school has reached out but that's all that I've had.

"We are waiting to hear from the council but if they can say 'you are traumatised and we can put you somewhere conducive to start your life afresh' then they need somewhere to focus in school and not a place where the trauma carries on."

The building has now been condemned with scaffolding and metal fencing around the outside.

Police tape and fire incident tape surrounds the property which has now got a gaping hole in the fire-damaged roof.

Windows have been smashed and blown out and the inside of the building is blackened with smoke damage.

Residents are pushing for a full investigation into whether there was a problem which should have been spotted earlier.

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