Photos: Van destroyed by fire in Oswestry as firefighters struggled to reach hydrant blocked by parked car
Firefighters were blocked from accessing a fire hydrant by a parked car as they battled a serious van fire.
The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service sent two crews to the scene on Oak Street, Oswestry, at around 9.56am yesterday (July 25).
The situation was made more serious by the presence of a propane cylinder in the camper van.
One of the crews that attended from Ellesmere Fire Station said the cylinder had started "venting pressurised gas" and presented a "serious risk to the public".
In a post on social media the crew also highlighted that the operation was made more difficult because access to an emergency fire hydrant was blocked by a parked car.
They have urged drivers to consider where they park, warning that "inadvertent obstruction" could put firefighters at risk.
A post on the Ellesmere Fire Station social media page said: "On arrival, the crew found one camper van alight, which contained a propane cylinder affected by heat.
"The cylinder has started venting pressurised gas, posing a serious risk to the public, and crew.
"Crew fought the fire using one hosereel jet, two breathing apparatus and a thermal image camera, and remained on scene once the fire was extinguished to ensure any risk posed by the cylinder had passed.
"The crew then discovered that a car had been parked on top of the nearest hydrant, preventing them from accessing the dedicated emergency water supply. Hydrants are strategically positioned, and we rely on them for our firefighting water.
"If the nearest hydrant to an incident is unavailable due to poor parking, we may need to locate, and access, another.
"This delays firefighting and rescue operations, and results in a loss of pressure from the hydrant supply due to the excessive distance the water needs to travel to reach the pumping appliance.
"This puts firefighters at risk. Please help us by taking an extra moment to check that you haven't inadvertently obstructed a hydrant when parking, particularly if it's somewhere you do not often visit."
The incident also caused superficial damage to a nearby car, with police also in attendance.
