Fire breaks out at Appleby Horse Fair: Stall and tent are engulfed in flames as smoke billows cross gathering of thousands of gypsies from across Europe

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

A fire broke out at Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, engulfing a tent, stall and van in flames as firefighters worked to tackle the blaze.
The blaze on Saturday afternoon was captured on social media and showed huge crowds gathering to stare as smoke billowed across the fair that attracts thousands of gypsies from across Europe.
In a video shared to YouTube, a fire could be seen burning through a white van which was set up in a corner of the field alongside a stall and several tables.
Clouds of black smoke could be seen surrounding the tent as fair goers watched on in horror.
Some could be seen covering the faces with their jumpers and coats as they bravely ran towards the fire to start moving tables, chairs and personal belongings out of the fire's path before a small explosion warned onlookers to step back.
Some stall holders rushed to the scene and began dismantling a nearby white tent as the van became entirely consumed by the flames.
Appleby visitors were then forced aside as fire engines and police officers arrived to tackle the inferno, with 'woops' and cheers heard in the clips.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control as stall holders continued to dismantle nearby tents and tables to save their belongings from any further damage.
Police officers formed a barricade to protect crowds from getting to near to the fire.
In clips shared on TikTok, festival goers walked past the burnt-out wreckage in shock, wrapped up in waterproofs with umbrellas.
One clip showed a blackened white van and one person could be heard saying: 'There's stuff in the back, all the carpets and that.'
Another video showed travellers at the horse fair continuing with their day as families browsed stalls safely out of reach of the fire and tucked in to snacks from nearby food trucks while smoke billowed behind them.
MailOnline has contacted Cumbria Fire and Rescue service for comment.
The fire came as thousands of gypsies descended on the horse fair in Cumbria despite the rain for another day of revelry.
The fair sees the 3,000 population of Appleby-in-Westmorland swell by a factor of 10 as visitors swarm to the annual event.
Of those, an estimated 10,000 are from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.
Visitors could be seen dressed in their finery and wrapped up in waterproof coats and donning wellies.
In its 250-year history the fair has only been cancelled twice, the first in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and the second in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year.
Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'flashing lane' - a closed-off rural road - before being haggled over and bought.
Families and even children hopped on their ponies and horses to trot down the lane, showing off the animals while others watched on from the side of the road.
Visitors couldn't be put off by the rain and ran their carriages around the site as puddles formed and onlookers got soaked.
Many donned practical outfits having clearly noted the weather forecast beforehand but others chose flashier ensembles including crop tops, mini skirts, shirts and vests.
The market Jimmy Winter's Field includes stalls selling everything from fashion to horse-related wares.
The fair is held outside the town of Appleby, at the point where the old Roman Road crosses Long Marton Road, on Gallows Hill, which was named after the public hangings that were once carried out there.
It was once thought the fair originated from a royal charter to the borough of Appleby from King James II of England in 1685, although more recent research has found the charter was cancelled before it was ever enacted.
The gathering is sometimes known as 'the New Fair' because Appleby's medieval borough fair, held at Whitsuntide, ceased in 1885.
The 'New Fair' began in 1775 for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock.
By the 1900s it had evolved into a major Gypsy/Traveller event which brought families from across the UK and Europe.