A 95-year-old woman was said to have escaped unharmed but been left homeless after her thatched cottage was destroyed by a fire.

The woman named as Nana Hill was forced to flee her home in East Hendred on Sunday morning after the roof was engulfed by flames.

Firefighters were called to the inferno on Horn Lane at 9.11am and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon battling the flames.

Neighbours said the sole occupant was the 95-year-old Mrs Hill, who they said was not injured in the fire.

One Horn Lane resident who preferred to remain anonymous said: "I heard the noise first of all with the fire engines going past.

"I didn't realise what was happening at first.

"It's so sad, she's such a lovely old lady: she's lived here over 20 years and what's happened is just awful.

"These things happen but I am glad that I don't have a thatched roof."

Another neighbour said she watched as ten fire engines fought the blaze.

She added: "There was an awful lot of noise and fire engines going by shortly after 9am.

"I have lived her for years and never seen anything like that."

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crew were faced with a rapidly-spreading fire on their arrival.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus braved the home to see the extent of the fire from the inside.

Other firefighters quickly tried to tackle the fire in the thatch and create a break using ladders and firefighting jets, to try to stop the flames spreading.

But despite the efforts of the firefighters the fire did continue to spread.

Crews removed what property they could from the house and placed it in a nearby garage.

The team finally extinguished the worst of the flames by 2pm and were damping down the smouldering remains.

Incident Commander GM Paul Bremble said: "The crews worked hard to try to reduce the damage to the house and the owners possessions.

"The main part of the house has been destroyed by the fire, however the crews have stopped the fire spreading to a small portion of the property.

"The crews will remain in attendance for some time to ensure that the fire is fully extinguished and safe.

"We urge that people do not approach the property as the fire has left it in an unstable condition and parts of the walls have already collapsed. The owner took the correct actions and got out of the property and call the fire service out."

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.