A Roscommon community are being praised after they banded together to rebuild the home of a "local legend" whose house was gutted by a fire.

74-year-old Tom Hill lost his home to the blaze at the end of October.

He had been lighting a fire when the blaze began, with Tom describing it as "unbelievable how quickly it took off".

Speaking to Lunchtime Live, he described the impact of losing his home and how his friends and neighbours worked together to get him back under his roof before Christmas.

Tom said he was lucky because a next-door neighbour banged on his door and told him to get out of the house.

He added: "I thought he was having me on, but when I came out I couldn't see my hand with smoke."

He said there are usually children in the house and he was so thankful that none of them were there when the blaze broke out.

Tom stated: "I wouldn't give a damn about myself, the kids would come first."

The fire damage to Tom Hill's home in Roscommon

He lost everything in the fire, including photographs, Memoriam cards and records, with music being a big passion in his life.

"They might not mean a lot to other people but they meant a lot to me," he added.

Tom praised his local community, neighbours and friends who helped him get back on his feet after the devastation of losing his house.

"They're the greatest people in the world.

Gerry Browne, who helped coordinate the rebuilding efforts, said they had achieved their aim of getting Tom back into his home for Christmas.

A quantity surveyor had initially estimated that it would cost €70,000 to €80,000 to rebuild as the house wasn't ensured.

Tom Hill's refurbished home

However, through free labour, it would cost €50,000 and so they tried to raise that money through a GoFundMe campaign.

Gerry said: "It ended up we completed the job for approximately €20,000 and we have enough left over to do the roof.

"There was tremendous support from local businesses, local tradesmen, there were over 80 volunteers."

He described Tom as a "local legend" who does "an amount of good work under the radar" in the community.

Main image: Tom Hill with some of the community who volunteered to rebuild his house. Credit: T Hill House Restoration Fund / Facebook