Safety fencing is being erected around the family home - now nothing more than a burned out shell.

Daylight has revealed the true extent of a fierce fire that ripped through the McKinnon's family home on Granite Street in Port Macquarie overnight on December 9, destroying everything they owned.

The family sifted through what was left in the backyard on Thursday morning, still shellshocked, but thankful no-one was hurt.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page and already there have been generous offers of help from the Port Macquarie-Hastings community which has rallied behind them.

Offers of clothing, Christmas presents for the kids and household items - all while fire crews were still attempting to bring the blaze under control, have buoyed the family who have been left heartbroken and devastated by their loss.

The family will organise a drop-off point for donations.

The home was occupied by renters Karen and Mitchell McKinnon. They had lived in the home for more than 24 years and it was a "safe place" for many others in that time.

Karen's daughter Lori-Anne and her four children aged 6, 8, 12 and 15 were also staying with them after their rental home had been sold and they were unable to find anywhere else to live.

Lori-Anne's sister-in-law Samantha Wright said the family is devastated.

"They found one keepsake made by the kids years ago. It was made of clay so it survived. There were a couple of bikes and one bodyboard," Samantha said.

Christmas presents taken off lay-by only the week before were destroyed.

"Karen is a really hard worker, a grandma of 11 and has never asked for anything," Samantha said.

"She's always the one to help. This home has been so many other people's safe place for some time.

"They are such a beautiful family, this is just so heartbreaking. They are all staying with family until we can find somewhere for them to live."

The children had left the home on that night just minutes before the fire started. Karen was cooking a baked dinner when she smelled smoke coming from the bedroom.

Fire investigators suspect an electrical fault sparked the blaze that engulfed the property within minutes and destroyed it.

Four family members fled the burning building with the assistance of neighbours when the fire took hold at around 6pm.

Port Macquarie Fire and Rescue acting station officer Neil Murray said the fire, as is expected in an older home, burned quickly and fiercely.

Fire and Rescue's Port Macquarie unit received back-up from Wauchope crews and the HAZMAT team

Sixteen firefighters battled the blaze for almost two hours before it was extinguished at around 8pm.

"It was well alight by the time we got there," Mr Murray said.

"As normally expected, once fire takes hold in an older style home it's a rapid ascension. There were people home but when we got there we got the all clear from the neighbours who said everyone was out along with the tenants.

"Being safety conscious, we were a lot more relaxed in firefighting knowing no-one was inside."

Mr Murray said it took crews almost an hour to bring the blaze to a manageable level but it was a "deep-seeded fire" that eventually caused a partial collapse of the structure.

The home has been 90 per cent gutted and the roof partially collapsed.

No neighbouring properties were damaged.

Ambulance NSW were on scene to assess the family members who were suffering smoke inhalation and shock.

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