Dunwich Heath fire: Couple recall 'frantic banging' on caravan door before escaping 'toxic fumes'

Dunwich Heath fire: Couple recall 'frantic banging' on caravan door before escaping 'toxic fumes' Stephen Bullock and his partner Christine Miller have described the moment they were awoken by "frantic banging" on their caravan door and managed to flee the scene A couple from Essex have recalled how they escaped the Suffolk wildfire as they and hundreds of other caravan park guests were evacuated. Firefighters have been tackling the blaze in Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, since Wednesday evening, with more than a hundred firefighters and a helicopter on site. A major incident has been declared due to the size and complexity of the blaze - which at it's largest was 150 hectares – the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches. Homes and 200 caravans have been evacuated. Residents were alerted by a 'hammering on the door' and told to evacuate immediately on Wednesday night. In an update last night the fire service said at least 12 fire engines will remain at the scene overnight into Friday in order to manage smaller fires that are breaking out, adding that electricity had returned to 111 of the 116 properties affected by earlier power cuts. Suffolk Fire and Rescue service said Sizewell B nuclear power station was not at risk from the fire, due to the distance from the fire and the direction it was travelling, but said it was a "live and dynamic situation". Stephen and Christine's story Stephen Bullock and his partner Christine Miller were staying at Dunwich Cliffs Estate caravan park, having travelled from Canvey Island in Essex for a three or four day stay. He became aware of smoke drifting across fields "quite a way away" at 5pm, which persisted for a few hours, then died down, so they watched a bit of TV and went to bed. However, at 11pm there was "frantic banging" on the caravan door as the park warden was evacuating visitors, flashlight in hand. He said: "It was pitch black. There were toxic fumes. You could not see your hand in front of your face. The fumes were horrific because it was quite a big fire by then and we were getting all of the smoke. We got in the car and put the headlights on, but it was thick black smoke everywhere. There were police and ambulance crews everywhere." The couple travelled to Westleton Village Hall where they were provided with the keys to a bungalow to stay the night. However, Mr Bullock said he did not know whether they would be returning to their caravan or returning to Canvey Island. Another holiday maker Ed, from Epping in Essex, was staying at Dunwich Cliff. He could hear fire engines and said he subsequently received a memo from the campsite ordering people to evacuate, but said he made his own plans and drove to the Dunwich Tea Rooms where he slept in his car overnight. He said: "At 4am this morning, that whole area was red like a light and I personally thought the campsite must have gone up. There was so much red and fire, but the wind must have changed direction and it must have changed and it must have gone further towards the tea rooms away from the campsite." Lisa Gordon and her husband's story Lisa Gordon, 54, on holiday with her husband and dog in their touring caravan, evacuated from Cliff House Holiday Park on Wednesday night. Mrs Gordon told the Press Association: “Just looking at the pictures… it’s quite worrying how close it is to the park now. It’s a car, it’s a caravan, and it’s insured but at the end of the day it’s a lot of hassle, isn’t it? They are things that can be replaced. But it’s not the relaxing day we thought we’d be having.” She said that when she and her husband were told to leave the holiday park, they could see smoke behind the trees. Mrs Gordon added: “It was only as we walked to reception to meet the police that all of a sudden it kind of hit us. So where we were it didn’t seem too bad at all. We weren’t really panicking at all. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the Dunwich wildfire by clicking here.