Vans destroyed, damaged by fire at Premier Caravan Park

A man has described the frightening moment he woke on Saturday to frantic bashing on his door as neighbouring caravans were destroyed by fire and the park was evacuated. PHOTOS.

Emergency crews are on scene at Premier Caravan Park after a van caught fire, with flames spreading to and destroying a second caravan and damaging a third on June 8, 2024. Residents were evacuated. Picture: Janessa Ekert

A Mackay caravan park resident has described the moment he jumped into action as the van next his was engulfed in flames.

A number of people narrowly escaped the blaze fire which gutted two caravans and damaged three others, prompting emergency crews to evacuate the park.

Peter Harris, whose caravan fronts the two that caught fire, said on Saturday he woke up to someone bashing on his door.

“I thought someone was trying to break into our caravan... I opened my door and the neighbour’s caravan was fully on fire about three metres away from me,” he said.

Emergency crews including three fire trucks, police and paramedics rushed to the Premier Caravan Park, that can be accessed via Nebo Rd and Brooks St, just before 10am Saturday, June 8.

Smoke from the blaze could be seen up to five kilometres away.

Emergency crews are on scene at Premier Caravan Park after a van caught fire, with flames spreading to and destroying a second caravan and damaging a third on June 8, 2024. Residents were evacuated. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Mr Harris, who had lived at the park for about 12 months, said he yelled at his family to get out to safety on the nearby road and “scrambled” with other neighbours to “hook up whatever hoses we could” to wet the ground around the caravans as well as douse the flames before fire crews arrived.

“The roof was already gone and the fire that was coming out of it... it was too hot to stand 10 metres away,” he said.

“It was melting the plastic stuff on the side of my caravan five metres away.

Peter Harris, who lives at Premier Caravan Park woke up to his neighbour's caravan on fire on June 8, 2024. The heat from the blaze damaged his caravan and dirt bikes. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“It melted the seat off my motorbike.

“The heat from it, I was just watching my annex just curl up and melt.

“If we hadn’t have done that, I would have lost my van.”

Luckily no one was injured, but Mr Harris said more than 50 people were evacuated.

Emergency crews are on scene at Premier Caravan Park after a van caught fire, with flames spreading to and destroying a second caravan and damaging a third on June 8, 2024. Residents were evacuated. Picture: Janessa Ekert

It is understood there were a number of gas tanks nearby.

He said when he walked out of his van the heat “hit ya straight up in the side of the face”.

The fire began in one caravan, which became fully engulfed.

“The flames coming off the van cooked the van beside it,” Mr Harris said, adding the heat of the fire damaged his three motorbikes.

Emergency crews are on scene at Premier Caravan Park after a van caught fire, with flames spreading to and destroying a second caravan and damaging a third on June 8, 2024. Residents were evacuated. Picture: Janessa Ekert

He said all three bikes had been padlocked and he and some of his neighbours had to try and drag them from the blaze.

“Anything that was rubber, anything that was plastic just melted off,” he said.

Nothing in Mr Harris’s van was damaged, just heat damaged on the outside, he said.

Police were directing traffic away from Brooks St where all the emergency vehicles were parked. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Two caravans were completely destroyed with a Queensland Fire and Emergency Crew spokeswoman confirming they had been marked as a “total loss”.

The QFES spokeswoman said three crews were called to the site just before 10am, by 10.10am the blaze was almost out and completely extinguished five minutes later.

She said there was exposure damaged to three other caravans.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said officers initially made an emergency declaration because of the nearby gas tank but this was revoked within 45 minutes.

Police including Criminal Investigation Branch detectives were on scene. The spokeswoman said the fire was not currently being treated as suspicious but investigations were ongoing.

Originally published as Vans destroyed, damaged by fire at Premier Caravan Park