A mother who returned home from shopping to find a huge fire in her garden in Ipswich today has praised her teenage son for making sure no-one was hurt.
Firefighters spent about 45 minutes putting out the caravan and wooden lean-to blaze at the property in Felixstowe Road this afternoon.
It was reported at midday and was extinguished by 12.45pm.
Natalie Sesto and her husband Clive, who live at the property with their teenage twin children Martina and Francesco, both 16, went out for some shopping at Aldi before the fire broke out.
Mrs Sesto said: “We had nipped up to Aldi to do a bit of shopping. Then on the way back, we saw all the big black smoke. I said to Clive ‘I hope that isn’t our house.’”
Francesco spotted the fire while his parents were out and got everyone, including his sister and her friends, safely out of the house, which was not affected by the caravan blaze in the garden.
He received help from neighbours and passers-by to try to put out the fire while they waited for firefighters to arrive.
Mrs Sesto added: “I am very proud of my boy. I don’t know how it started, but he got everybody safely out of the house and knocking on people’s doors for buckets of water.
“Thank God no-one was hurt. I just want to thank everyone who stopped and helped.”
Francesco said: “My sister and her friend were in the house. I got them out of the house and outside, and made sure everyone was safe. I then collected neighbours to help with the fire. We tried to put it out with water buckets.”
The caravan and a lean-to have been destroyed, as well as some stock for Mrs Sesto’s sandwich delivery company, Sarnie Express.
A garage in the garden was unaffected.
“We only bought it [the caravan] last year – we loved it and now it’s all gone,” Mrs Sesto added.
Two fire engines attended, and managed to remove gas bottles in the front of the caravan before the flames reached them.
Watch commander Dave Edwards said: “We would have been a lot more worried if the gas bottles were still inside, it could have turned into more defensive type fire fighting.”
Mr Edwards praised the efforts of Francesco, and added that he helped direct them from the side alleyway directly to the fire.
The fire crews said a cause of the fire has yet to be established, with investigation work taking place at the scene.
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