Family perished in caravan fire

Campers Caravan Camper carCampers, Illustration Photo: Pixabay.com

A family of three from Sandnes died in caravan fire

The Police in Rogaland have reason to believe the three who died in a caravan fire on the island of Sokn near Stavanger on Saturday is a family consisting of father, mother and son resident in the Sandnes municipality.

 

Investigator in the Southwest Police District, Per Gunnar Kvame, states that the deceased have been sent to autopsy. It will probably take a few days before the police have a positive identification. There is nobody else missing after the fire.

The municipality’s crisis team worked on site in the morning to take care of other the campers who were evacuated to a nearby restaurant.

The police worked on site with a forensics team and other personnel who interviewed a number of witnesses at the camping area on Saturday.

– We do not know where or how the fire started. Nor have the witnesses provided us with any useful information regarding that. We hope the forensic investigations will provide us with answers, Kvame says.

He further states that the investigation is in full force and adds that the police will not provide more information regarding the case on Saturday.

Burned to the ground

Kvame informs that the caravan where the three deceased were found is burned to the ground.

– It was a heavy fire, so other caravans may also have sustained fire damage. No injuries to others have been reported, he says.

The police were notified of the fire at 5.24 am. The caravan was ablaze when the emergency services arrived at the campsite. The site is located on the Sokn Island, just north of Stavanger.

Operations Manager in the Southwest Police District, Henning Andersen, told NTB at 6 am Saturday that there had been strong winds in the area, but it had subsided, which limited the amount of damage. At 6.15 am, the fire service reported that the fire was put extinguished.

Campers in shock

The campers are in shock after the tragic event in the early hours, according to Stavanger Aftenblad. Some curious people (as per usual) took the trip to see the remains of the caravan, which the police had cordoned off and covered with a tarpaulin.

– Everyone is affected by what has happened. It is absolutely terrible, says Åshild Egeli, spokesperson for the resident’s association at Sokn Camping.

Marit Wang and her husband slept in their camper car near to the caravan.

– I suddenly woke up by a big bang. At first, I thought someone was firing party rockets. My husband lifted the curtain and saw that the caravan next door was ablaze, she says.

Police Officer in charge, Helge Hagen, states that the strong heat caused damage to a neighbouring caravan.

– The windows have cracked due to the high heat. Luckily it was no wind tonight. This could otherwise have had completely different consequences, says Hagen.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today