General News
15 October, 2024
Family's caravan destroyed in morning blaze, but Horsham home spared
Horsham caravan catches fire, quick response saves nearby homes.
A family's summer holiday plans were ruined when their caravan caught fire on Tuesday morning, October 15.
Horsham Fire Brigade units quickly responded to extinguish the blaze before any nearby homes were damaged.
Owners Monique and Steven Castleman, thankful the damage wasn't worse, revealed that the fire was believed to have been caused by an electrical issue.
"If the caravan was only a metre closer to the house we could have lost everything," Mrs Castleman said.
"I was in town and could see all the black smoke. I just ran."
The caravan was a family purchase in 2023 and was used in September for a trip to the Loch Ard near Port Campbell.
"The caravan is only 12 months old," Mr Castleman said.
"I was planning on coming home after work and washing it before we put it back into storage."
Mr Castleman said the cleanup process would start once the insurance assessor surveys the damage.
Renee Castleman said she found out after seeing the video of the fire on The Wimmera Mail-Times.
"I was at work, and I asked the customer what was happening," she said.
"They thought the cloud were getting dark... then someone showed us the video on Facebook."
Quick work extinguishes fire
A CFA spokesperson said emergency services were called into action at 9.41am to the Oak Court blaze.
"Four Horsham CFA units responded to reports of a caravan fire on Oak Court in Horsham at around 9.41am," the spokesperson said.
"Victoria Police were called to the scene. Crews discovered a caravan ignited in the front yard of the premises. It did not extend into the house or neighbouring houses."
The Incident was deemed under control at 10.05am.