Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Shock as caravan goes up in flames
SHOCKED residents heard “loud bangs” and a road had to be sealed off after a caravan burst into flames.
Emergency crews were called to Happyhillock Road after being alerted to the fire shortly before 8pm yesterday.
Two fire appliances from Kingsway East were called to tackle the blaze and police confirmed they had been called to assist with the incident and had closed the road to allow crews to get the incident.
A spokeswoman from Scottish Fire and Rescue said crews used one main hose reel jet to extinguish the flames.
The smell of smoke still lingered in the air around the charred remains of the caravan today.
Stuart Sturrock, who lives nearby, said he became aware of the fire after hearing what sounded like fireworks going off.
Mr Sturrock, who has lived in the area for 19 years, said fire crews had temporarily closed off the road.
He said: “I initially thought it was fireworks going off, but there were two big bangs.
“I saw two fire crews and they closed the road off to get access to the water main.
“During the incident, I don’t think anyone was evacuated, but a number of residents had come out of their homes.”
It is understood the caravan’s owner lives close to where it had been parked for several months.
Meanwhile, Xplore had to divert its 17 and 17e services temporarily because of the cordon, which caused some delays for passengers. One commuter said he was “astounded” at the extent of the damage.
He added: “You can still smell the smoke coming off it.
“The fire must have caught fairly quickly to have caused that extent of damage.”
The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed.
A fire and rescue service spokesman said: “We received a call at 7.58pm of a caravan on fire. Two appliances from Kingsway East attended the scene before standing down at 8.28pm.”