A blaze involving a caravan and a nearby van was tackled by firefighters after flames broke out in the open countryside – with a newly trained firefighter attending his first ever emergency call.
A crew from Newton Abbot fire station was mobilised to reports of a fire in the open near Abbotskerswell.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered a caravan and a variety of miscellaneous items well alight, with the fire beginning to spread to a nearby van.
The incident commander tasked two firefighters with hose reel jets to tackle the blaze while assessing the risk of the fire spreading further.
A second fire appliance was requested to provide additional water supplies as crews worked to bring the incident under control.
Additional firefighters used drag forks and a thermal imaging camera (TIC) to turn over the remaining debris and cool down any remaining hot spots.
The incident took place on Monday, March 9.
It also marked the first call out for firefighter Billy Whalley, who recently completed his basic training with the service.
Billy joined colleagues in tackling the blaze and gaining his first experience of an operational incident.
A post from Newton Abbot fire station said Billy “performed well whilst tackling the fire and was more than happy to throw himself into his new firefighting role”.
The message added: “Welcome to the team Billy, we look forward to seeing how you will progress through your training.”
Colleagues also encouraged members of the public to wish Billy well as he continues his remaining courses and development on his route to becoming a fully competent firefighter
