Firefighter who was having a day off after spending weeks fighting summer wildfires then lost his own home in devastating blaze

When firefighter Phil Morris spent weeks of his summer tending to wildfire blazes, the last thing he anticipated was his own home being caught in an inferno.But after Mr Morris, 47, remotely checked the external CCTV footage connected to his home while out selling his wife's car - it was clear something was wrong. At first glance, Mr Morris, the group manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, could not see any sign of smoke or flames at his property, located in Llangammarch Wells, Powys, Wales.However, while scanning the footage - seen through an app on wife Donna's, 43, mobile phone - the power suddenly went off and her screen turned blank. Concerned by the outage, father-of-three Mr Morris alerted his colleagues and asked that a fire engine be sent to his home - whose roof had already collapsed and destroyed everything inside. By the time Mr Morris returned to the property, he said it was 'just four walls standing'.He said: 'Everything internal is collapsed in. There is nothing salvageable. As far as the property is concerned it's catastrophic.'We thought maybe there would be a trinket here or there, but there is nothing left. It's quite hard. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.' Firefighter Phil Morris (pictured) spent this summer tackling blazes across Wales - only to find his own home had gone up in flames Mr Morris pictured with wife Donna Morris. Nearly £30,000 has been raised to aid the family after a fire erupted at their homeMr Morris said he and his family, including children Ryley, 19, Halli, 18, and Rico, nine, still remain at their home; however, have lost items of irreplaceable value. He added: 'We are all still here but we have lost the childhood photos, the children's gymnastics and football trophies, all those little things you build up that makes you you. They have all gone, which is quite strange.'I don't quite know what emotions I am feeling. Some days I feel like I've been punched in the stomach.'Firefighters had rushed to battle the blaze - one of numerous devastating wildfires in Wales this summer - when it erupted at Mr Morris's barn conversion in the hamlet of Cefn Gorwydd.At the time of the disaster, Mrs Morris and Ryley were not staying at their home, but in Oswestry in Shropshire, where Ryley was undergoing physiotherapy at hospital for his cerebral palsy. Rico was with his grandparents, while Hali was driving to pick her father up in Merthyr Tydfil, one hour away.Mr Morris said he is grateful his family are safe to 'start again'. He said: 'I have been on jobs where that is not the case.Father-of-three Mr Morris said some days he feels as though he's been 'punched in the stomach' because of the disaster 'I have seen the other side of that and when I have moments I say 'we are still here', and we have a support network and the community has been overwhelming.'In the days since the fire, a local resident established a fundraiser to aid the family, with an initial goal of £10,000. At present, it has raised over £29,000. Mr Morris thanked the woman - who he does not know personally - who started the fundraiser, and the generous donations of well-wishers. He said: 'We don't know the lady.'We hadn't thought of anything like that but we are so grateful. Some of the messages have been amazing. You go through something like this and realise people are inherently good and it has restored my faith in humanity massively.'Hundreds of people we don't know have donated towards us. It's making a difference. That community spirit is keeping us going.'In a statement, Brecon Fire Station said: 'Wednesday night, our station received a call that none of us ever expected to receive. Mr Morris's home - a barn conversion - before the tragic incident 'We were mobilised to a serious domestic fire, but this wasn't just another incident. The house belonged to our Group Manager Phil Morris, and his family.'Tragically, the fire has left the family having lost virtually everything. Their home and possessions have been devastated, and they have been left with little more than the clothes they had with them.'[Mr Morris] has been an inspiration to so many of us and an incredible fire officer, colleague and friend.'Now it's our opportunity to be there for him and his family.'No cause has been released for the fire other than being described as 'domestic' and is not linked to wildfires. Yet it is only one of hundreds of fires to strike Wales this summer as temperatures soared in some areas to 35 degrees. Earlier this month, at least 20 wildfires raged across the country - with firefighters joined by soldiers to tackle the growing flames.In Ynyswen and Treherbert in the Rhondda, fires erupted in a mountainside behind a row of houses; while in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, wildfires lit up the night sky at Cwm, a former industrial coal-mining community. Wildfires lit up the night sky at Cwm, a former industrial coal-mining community in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales earlier this month Smoke rose from wildfires near Ebbw Vale, South Wales - where around 200 military personnel were brought in to reinforce local fire crews A helicopter was spotted dropping water onto burning moorland near Blaenavon in south WalesAbout 200 military personnel – from the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, supported by the 22 Engineer Regiment –were deployed to provide support.South Wales Chief Fire Officer Fin Monahan said the soldiers had been doing an 'utterly phenomenal job digging trenches and also helping us build fire breaks'.'That has liberated lots of our firefighters to go and do their more specialist skills of firefighting,' he previously told the BBC.The military have also been providing logistical support, including water distribution.However, Gareth Tovey, Fire Brigades Union executive council member for Wales, said members were reporting 'carnage' as they battled multiple incidents.He said: 'What our members out there, firefighters on the ground, are saying, is that the conditions in which they're fighting these fires are materially different from what we've experienced before – it's so much drier,' he said.Firefighters are working 10 or 11-hour shifts on mountainsides without breaks or access to toilets and eating meals 'covered in soot'.Addressing the wildfire problem, Elin Jones, the Welsh finance minister, said: 'At present, both South Wales and Mid and West Wales Fire Services have declared major incidents given the pressures on them from fires in multiple locations.'The incidents are being managed through an established multi-agency emergency structure covering all organisations involved in the response including the Welsh Government.'Ms Jones added: 'We are extremely grateful to the Army for providing this additional support. 'The Welsh Government stands ready to provide funding for these military support operations should this be required.'