THE A386 across Blackdown near Mary Tavy was closed for over an hour on Saturday while firefighters dealt with a fierce blaze in a camper van. Two crews from Tavistock were called at around 4.45pm to tackle the fire, which started in the engine compartment of the van. Spokesman Glenn Arundel said the crews used breathing apparatus and a water jet to deal with the flames, which produced a large quantity of thick, black smoke. There were also fears about gas cylinders contained in the vehicle. ?The fire actually damaged about 100 square metres of moorland and even burned the road surface as well,? he said. Mr Arundel said after an hour, the crews discovered the gas cylinders had ?vented?, which removed the danger of them exploding. The camper van was totally destroyed by the blaze ? the occupants were unharmed. ?The driver did exactly the right thing ? he tried to tackle the blaze initially with a small extinguisher, but called us when he realised he couldn?t control it,? said Mr Arundel.
