A crowd fundraiser to help the victims of the Barking Riverside fire has collected £16,000 in just one week.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Household have begun returning to their homes after a blaze tore up the building on De Pass Gardens. Picture: Luke Acton.Household have begun returning to their homes after a blaze tore up the building on De Pass Gardens. Picture: Luke Acton. (Image: Luke Acton)

The Crowdfunder page set up by Barking and Dagenham Council has a target of £100,000 following the blaze at Samuel Garside House in De Pass Gardens, on June 9.

The fire forced residents to flee their homes and take refuge in the rest centre set up at Thames View Community Centre by the council.

Luckily no-one was seriously hurt.

The blaze, which broke out around 3.30pm, destroyed 20 flats, damaged another 10 and displaced the residents of 80 homes.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Barking and Dagenham Council leader Darren Rodwell. Picture: Andrew Brookes.Barking and Dagenham Council leader Darren Rodwell. Picture: Andrew Brookes. (Image: Archant)

Five households returned to their homes last Thursday.

Cllr Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: "This money will help them get back on their feet and sums up the support shown by our wonderful community.

"We have moved our rest centre base to Rivergate Community Centre, which has better facilities for children and is nearer those who have been affected.

"At the moment we are dealing with this in bitesize chunks to make sure people have what they need each day."

To make a donation visit crowdfunder.co.uk/help-for-families-affected-by-riverside-fire