‘Complete bedlam’ ensues as caravanners flee treacherous blaze
Caravanners were left in a state of panic yesterday after being told to grab their passports and run, as 15 foot high flames from a forest wildfire looked set to engulf camping and caravan sites in France.
Up to 10,000 campers and caravanners were evacuated due to the wildfires, which eventually took 200 firefighters to extinguish. 50 fire engines and specialist water-dropping planes were also dispatched to tackle the blaze.
The wildfire burned through forests in the southern region of Var, with much of the region still at risk of fires due to drought, winds and high temperatures.
One caravanner present, Dan Rainford, described the experience as “complete bedlam” to the Mirror, as he and many other tourists quickly fled and searched for a safe escape.
Dan, who was on holiday with his wife, Louise, and two children, Callum and Sophie, as well as his mum Lynne, when they were told that their campsite could be engulfed in flames.
Dan said: Dan said to Mirror: “Suddenly we were being told to get out. They said ‘grab your cars, grab your passports if you’ve got them and just go – forget your clothes’.
“We were sent to the emergency exit – but it was complete bedlam. There were thousands of people trying to do the same thing.”
The Rainford family was among round 3,000 campers and caravanners that had to be evacuated from the Holiday Green site. Two other sites, Pin de la Lègue and la Pierre Verte, were also evacuated, bringing traffic to an abrupt stop.
“That was the scary part for me,” continued Dan. “Being stuck in the traffic while we could see the smoke approaching. It probably took half an hour to get out. I was thinking ‘come on – get moving’. People were very panicked.”
While stopped in the traffic Dan said his mother, Lynne, grabbed his two children, Callum, 15, and Sophie, 12, and exited the car because she was concerned about getting them to safety.
After making it out of the site the Rainfords went to the coast, and were eventually allowed back to their site by 8pm.
He said: “The reps told us how close the fire had come to us – five caravans had been burnt out just next to ours.
“You could see burn marks up the side of ours. It could have very easily been us. We were very lucky, all of our stuff was in there.” Dan continued.
Although the Rainfords were staying in the middle of the site, the fire was able to ‘jump’ over other caravan because of the strength of the wind.
It is estimated that around 30 hectares of land in the Frejus region have been let devastated due to the effects of the fire.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth office said: “We are liaising with the local authorities in Frejus and are in contact with British nationals caught up in the situation to provide support.”
