AN £80,000 executive coach was gutted in an arson attack in Okehampton last weekend.
The coach, flagship of the family-owned Carmel Coaches of Northlew, was parked on Old Road, Okehampton, on Saturday night when the attack happened.
Tony Hazell, owner of Carmel Coaches, said the company had ?gone to town? on their executive coach.
?It had everything, TVs, drinks machine, toilets ? we spent a lot of money on it. We don?t know if it was mindless vandalism or someone with a personal grudge. As far as I know we haven?t upset anyone, but at the end of the day it?s £80,000 gone up in smoke and that doesn?t benefit anyone.
?I just don?t see the sense of it. If they?d broken in and stolen half the stuff to re-sell I could understand, but what do you get out of seeing something go up in smoke??
Mr Hazell said Carmel had managed to cover all the journeys they were booked for and it was business as usual for the company, despite the loss.
Carolyn Hazell, assistant transport manager, said the company was alerted to the blaze in the coach at about 1am on Sunday.
Miss Hazell said: ?It?s a complete write-off. It?s been totally lost. Inside it?s just gutted, even the stairs have actually melted.?
Miss Hazell said the fire was ?a huge loss? to the company, which has been trading for 18 years.
?It was our best coach. We?ve spent a fortune having it done up. We?ll never be able to recover what we put into it. Even the driver?s lost things he left in there.
?It just doesn?t make sense. It?s just mindless vandalism.?
Another coach parked by the burning vehicle was lucky not to be set alight by the blaze ? but is now unable to be used.
Miss Hazell said police, who arrived first at the scene of the blaze, were forced to break the coach window to get into it to move it away from the fire.
Although it was saved from the fire, Carmel has so far been unable to find a replacement window for the coach.
Two fire engines from Okehampton attended the coach fire.
Station officer Ian Donovan said firefighters with breathing apparatus used two hose-reels to extinguish the flames.
Mr Donovan said: ?When we arrived it was burning from end to end and it was being fanned by quite strong winds.
?There wasn?t an awful lot we could do as it was well and truly alight on our arrival.?
Sgt Dave Anning, of Okehampton Police, confirmed the attack was being treated as arson.
He said police investigations had so far failed to make much headway and appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to contact Okehampton Police Station, quoting crime reference JO/02/889.