Greenbelt Festival Family holiday goes up in flames as caravan set alight
A dad-of-three bravely tackled his burning caravan just hours after he'd packed it full ready to go on holiday the following day
A quick-thinking dad-of-three braved a burning caravan to stop a gas cylinder from exploding outside his home.
With his hair singed and arm reddened from the flames, Mark Hearn should be on holiday with his wife Nicky and their daughters Melissa, 10, Daniella, four and 11-month-old Julia.
Instead he’s left bewildered and counting the family’s losses and charred possessions after seeing their caravan crammed with clothes, toys and camping equipment go up in flames.
Outside his home in Welbeck Road, Walker, trying to clear the burned debris from the roadside, Mark, 45, said: “We were meant to leave on Tuesday night but got delayed so loaded up the caravan and hitched it to the car ready to leave at 4am the following morning. It’s our annual family holiday to the Greenbelt Festival down south and the girls love it.
“No sooner do we get back when Melissa is asking when we can go again.”
The Hearns’ hopes of a family getaway were dashed just after 11pm on Tuesday. Having fed their youngest daughter, 35-year-old childminder Nicky had just got into bed ready for their 4am start yesterday.
She said: “I’d fed Julia and been in bed about 10 minutes when I heard a loud bang. I looked out of the window and saw flames in the caravan. By the time we got outside with the fire extinguisher it had already spread.
“Everything was in there. Mark is one of the festival volunteers and we are a central point for other YMCA and youth groups who use our full size gas cooker and tents we’ve collected over the past decade. It’s all been destroyed.”
Seeing the flames Mark tried to put out the fire but it continued to burn and spread.
Mark said: “The fire extinguisher I had ran out and that was when there was a back draft. I knew there was a gas cylinder inside, I only carry enough so we can have a cup of tea when we get there but still didn’t want it to explode.
“I ran for the keys, unlocked the door and managed to drag it out. Nicky unhitched the car and drove it further down the road but the back seats and windows are damaged from the heat.”
Two fire crews from Fossway Station and police were called to the scene after neighbours reported hearing laughing and seeing two people running away from outside Mark’s house just after 11pm.
A fire service spokesman said: “The fire has been recorded as malicious ignition and the police were in attendance.
“It could have been a whole lot worse. There were gas cylinders inside. Had they heated up sufficiently there could have been an explosion in the street.”
A volunteer at Greenbelt Festival, Europe’s largest Christian festival, Mark and his family also provide supplies, tents and cooking facilities for other youth groups from across the country attending the five-day event.
Mark said: “The children don’t fully understand what has happened and that everything has gone but they are devastated we might not be going. We’ve had the caravan for 10 years and only ever had a bit of bother a few years ago when a window was broken but this sort of thing shouldn’t just be allowed to happen.”