Stephen Bullock and his partner Christine Miller were staying at Dunwich Cliffs Estate caravan park when the wildfire that has been burning since Wednesday evening forced them and hundreds of other guests to evacuate. The couple, from Canvey Island in Essex, had arrived for a three or four day stay and initially noticed smoke drifting across fields at 5pm. After it died down, they went to bed, only to be awoken at 11pm by 'frantic banging' on their caravan door as the park warden evacuated visitors.
Escape Through Toxic Fumes
Mr Bullock said: 'It was pitch black. There were toxic fumes. You could not see your hand in front of your face. The fumes were horrific because it was quite a big fire by then and we were getting all of the smoke. We got in the car and put the headlights on, but it was thick black smoke everywhere. There were police and ambulance crews everywhere.'
The couple drove to Westleton Village Hall, where they were given keys to a bungalow for the night. Mr Bullock was unsure whether they would return to their caravan or head back to Canvey Island.
Firefighting Efforts and Evacuations
More than a hundred firefighters and a helicopter have been tackling the blaze in Dunwich Heath, near Leiston. A major incident was declared due to the size and complexity of the fire, which at its largest covered 150 hectares – roughly 210 football pitches. Homes and around 200 caravans have been evacuated.
In an update, the fire service said at least 12 fire engines would remain at the scene overnight into Friday to manage smaller outbreaks, and electricity had been restored to 111 of the 116 properties affected by power cuts. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that Sizewell B nuclear power station was not at risk due to its distance from the fire and the direction it was travelling.
Other Holidaymakers' Accounts
Another holidaymaker, Ed from Epping in Essex, was staying at Dunwich Cliff. He heard fire engines and received a memo ordering evacuation but made his own plans, driving to the Dunwich Tea Rooms where he slept in his car. He said: 'At 4am this morning, that whole area was red like a light and I personally thought the campsite must have gone up. There was so much red and fire, but the wind must have changed direction and it must have changed and it must have gone further towards the tea rooms away from the campsite.'
Lisa Gordon, 54, on holiday with her husband and dog in a touring caravan, evacuated from Cliff House Holiday Park on Wednesday night. She told the Press Association: 'Just looking at the pictures… it’s quite worrying how close it is to the park now. It’s a car, it’s a caravan, and it’s insured but at the end of the day it’s a lot of hassle, isn’t it? They are things that can be replaced. But it’s not the relaxing day we thought we’d be having.'
She said that when told to leave, they could see smoke behind the trees. 'It was only as we walked to reception to meet the police that all of a sudden it kind of hit us. So where we were it didn’t seem too bad at all. We weren’t really panicking at all.'
