THE cause of a fire which destroyed a Hampshire family’s home may remain a mystery.

The blaze wrecked the house at Woodgreen, near Fordingbridge, on December 2.

The family returned from a trip out to find their New Forest home in flames.

The fire is not believed to be suspicious.

Eight fire crews from Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire spent hours fighting the flames after the emergency services were called at around 6.30pm.

A spokesman for Hampshire and Rescue, which has been trying to find out how it started, said: “The house is such a charred mess it’s impossible to tell what started the fire.

“Unless the walls are shored up with scaffolding, it’s too dangerous to continue the investigation.”