Two caravans destroyed in fire

Firefighters in Wickford were called into action yesterday (July 16th) to tackle a double caravan fire, the Echo reports.

The emergency services received a call at 18:30, with the caller pointing them in the direction of two empty caravans which were ablaze on Meadow Lane.

Crews from Basildon and Wickford were summoned to tackle the inferno, which took around an hour to put out as firefighters wrestled with the flames.

Basildon firefighter Steve Barclay told the newspaper: "One caravan was completely destroyed and the other was just a shell. Both were owned, apparently, but empty at the time."

The incident underlines the importance of having caravan insurance, particularly for travellers who intend to stay at various sites as part of their summer break.

Even if a caravan is not initially the one to be set alight, winds could potentially spread the fire to others throughout a park, with disastrous consequences for owners.

This eventuality was hinted at by Mr Barclay, who added: "They were well alight when we arrived. There are quite a few caravan plots around there but we prevented the fire from spreading to other caravans."

Police are still investigating the incident to determine the cause.

17/07/2008 16:44:35