🔥 NIGHTMARE AT 3 A.M.: Ter-ri-fied 8-Year-Old’s Cry Saves Family From Suffolk Wildfire Hor-ror Just Minutes Before Disaster
A TERRIFIED young girl woke her dad in terror after cops banged on their caravan door in the middle of the night as a devastating wildfire was closing in.
The rampant inferno on Dunwich Heath, in Suffolk, grew ten-fold in a matter of hours as 120 firefighters scrambled to fight the flames in a desperate race against time on Thursday.
The torrid blaze has devastated an area equivalent to 210 football pitches.Credit: Halesworth Fire Station
Crews will remain on scene overnight tackling the flamesCredit: Halesworth Fire Station
Alex Drew pictured with his daughter Ayla after they were evacuated in the middle of the nightCredit: Martin Fricker
The rampant inferno grew ten-fold in a matter of hoursCredit: PA
Fire chiefs now say the scale of the raging blaze stretches a whopping 150 hectares – the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches.
Holiday parks and dozens of nearby homes were among those evacuated as the fire devoured the tinder-dry grassland yesterday.
Shell-shocked families were taken in by local villagers hailed for their “Blitz spirit” as large plumes of smoke billowed skyward – as the blaze continues to burn into its third day.
Alex Drew told The Sun how he was woken by his terrified daughter Ayla, eight, at 3am as the blaze threatened their caravan.
Fire chiefs think the heath could burn for another 72 hoursCredit: Reuters
A firefighting helicopter was seen at work next to Sizewell nuclear power stationCredit: Reuters
Holidaymakers were forced to evacuate in the middle of the nightCredit: PA
The pair had been enjoying a short break at the Dunwich Cliffs Estate Caravan Park when the drama unfolded.
Alex, a maintenance worker from Cambridge, said they were the last people to be evacuated.
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He said: “We’d been out for the day and arrived back at around 5.20pm.”
“We saw some people looking out over a field and thought they’d maybe seen a deer or something.
“But then we saw a little bit of smoke and realised there was a fire.
“There was a woman on the phone to the emergency services and then we saw two fire engines race by.”
But Alex said he “didn’t think much of it” and put his daughter and then himself to bed before the pair were awoken to cops banging on their caravan door.
The inferno has burnt through 100 acres of heathlandCredit: PA
Cliff House Holiday Park was evacuated in the middle of the nightCredit: LNP
“The next thing I knew, Ayla was waking me up,” Alex said.
“She’d been woken by the police banging on the door telling us we needed to leave immediately.
“She was terrified, as you can imagine. We packed up and got out straight away.
“I told the police I’d had two beers, so they breathalysed me and said I was fine to jump in the car.
“It was 3am, so we just drove down to the beach and watched the sunrise.”
Rob Gordon, 56, was staying at the Cliff House Holiday Park with his wife Lisa and their pet cockapoo Maisy when the blaze hit.
He told The Sun how panic broke out among holidaymakers as they were ordered to evacuate the site by staff and police.
The delivery driver, from Moulton Chapel, Lincs, said: “My wife was panicking, but I’d had a few drinks so was pretty calm about everything.
Crews successfully evacuated Coastguard Cottages, Mount Pleasant Farm and Cliff House Holiday ParkCredit: PA
Rob Gordon and his wife were dramatically evacuated at 10pm last nightCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
“Then the police turned up at 10pm and said it was time to go.
“There was quite a bit of panic. Some people packed up their caravans and got out of there very quickly.
“Because I’d been drinking I wasn’t willing to drive, so we grabbed a few bits and got a lift from the police to Westleton.
“The locals have been amazing. A guy opened up his holiday cottage and let us stay there for the night.”
The alarm was raised at 5.30pm on Wednesday as the terrifying orange glow lit up the landscape.
Richard Stephenson, 44, was holidaying at the same site with his partner Lauren Robson and their two children.
The fire had torn trough the National Trust nature reserveCredit: SWNS
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent out 14 crewsCredit: Suffolk Fire & Rescue
Richard, from Hebden Bridge, West Yorks, said police knocked on their caravan door at midnight telling them to leave.
He said: “We only arrived yesterday evening, we literally drove through the smoke to get to the site.
“We put the kids to bed and then a warden came and said it looked like we may need to leave at some point.
“And then we got the second knock at midnight. This time it was clear it was more serious and we jumped in the car.
“We drove to Westleton and an amazing family let us have two rooms in their house. Everyone has been amazing, giving us food and keeping us informed.”
Chris Bowden, who was evacuated from a caravan with his wife, said: “I was walking the dog when I heard the sirens and then could actually feel the heat.
“It looked like the scenes we are getting from France and Spain – it was an horrific sight.
Smoke rises from a wildfire at Dunwich Heath as firefighters battle the blazeCredit: PA
The fire service said its response to the fire would continue for another 48 hours at leastCredit: PA
“Trees were bursting into flames and the site was getting very smoky.
“We were advised to get ready to evacuate and at 11pm we left.
“The smoke was so thick it was difficult to see.”
Hero Archie, 16, from London, told how he went from door to door urging people to prepare a grab bag ready to escape.
He said: “It was a bit too close for comfort but I wasn’t panicked.
“I had to get a woman and her two babies out of bed and get them in a car. The firefighters wanted everybody out.”
The fire service said its response to the fire would continue for another 48 hours at least, and that changing wind conditions were making it difficult to predict how it may spread.
The “large-scale, wind-driven” fire was declared a major incident on Thursday morning, due to the size and complexity of the blaze which was helped by south-westerly winds.
On Thursday evening, Suffolk’s chief fire officer, Jon Lacey, said: “Eighteen fire engines and 120 firefighters are involved in the response, but difficult terrain and limited access routes are making it hard for crews to reach some areas of the wildfire.”
He confirmed approximately 100 to 150 people had been evacuated from their accommodation.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to send “all the support” necessary.
The PM said: “We’ve got the situation under close monitoring, and I’m receiving regular updates. It is a very serious incident.
“I will make sure that Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service have all of the support, the mutual aid, the other services that they need, and any other resources that need to be brought to bear.”
Sizewell B power station said the fire was “not affecting operations”.
Fields separate the plant and the blaze, which is affecting the heathland further north along the coast.
Meanwhile Sizewell C, which is under construction, has offered rooms at its Pakefield accommodation block should residents need them.
UK Power Networks said it had turned off power to 116 homes in the Darsham area at the request of the fire service due to the proximity of the fire to overhead lines.
