Latest news with #motorhome
CBC
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CBC
3 in hospital after motorhome fire spreads to gas station near Chilliwack, B.C.
Social Sharing A fire that began in a motorhome near Chilliwack, B.C., on Saturday spread to a nearby gas station, sending three people to hospital — one in critical condition. The incident happened just before noon at a fuel station off Highway 1 on Bridal Falls Road in Rosedale, east of Chilliwack. In a statement to CBC News, B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) said it received a call at 11:58 a.m. and responded with multiple units, including a critical care helicopter. The person in critical condition was airlifted to hospital and the two others were transported by ground in stable condition, BCEHS said. WATCH | Motorhome engulfed in flames near fuel pumps as thick smoke rises: Gas station and motorhome fire near Chilliwack leaves 1 person in critical condition 2 hours ago Duration 0:26 A motorhome caught fire Saturday at a Shell gas station near Bridal Falls Road in Rosedale, B.C., sending flames and thick black smoke into the air. The fire spread to the fuel station and left one person in critical condition. Video captured by a passing driver shows the blaze up close. (Submitted by Stéphane R. Hébert) According to a statement from the Fraser Valley Regional District, the gas bar area of the Shell station at 53560 Bridal Falls Road was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived. A total of 33 firefighters from Popkum, Chilliwack and Agassiz departments were on scene. The fire was brought under control about an hour after crews arrived. The other buildings at the site that were not attached to the gas bar also sustained some damage, the regional district said. The site remains cordoned off for safety. RCMP also attended the scene. Video shared on social media by Stéphane R. Hébert, who was passing by at the time, shows thick black smoke rising into the air and a motorhome fully engulfed in flames near fuel pumps. "We changed lanes to be as far away from it as possible because it appeared to be burning quite close to the propane tank," Hébert told CBC News. "We were concerned that it might explode and so we wanted to get past it as quickly as possible." The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Motorhome fire spreads to gas station near Chilliwack, B.C., sends 3 to hospital
A fire that began in a motorhome near Chilliwack, B.C. on Saturday spread to a nearby gas station, sending three people to hospital, with one in critical condition. The incident happened just before noon at a fuel station off Highway 1 on Bridal Falls Road in Rosedale, east of Chilliwack. In a statement to CBC News, B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) said it received a call at 11:58 a.m. and responded with multiple units, including a critical care helicopter. The person in critical condition was airlifted to hospital and the two others were transported by ground in stable condition, BCEHS said. WATCH | Motorhome engulfed in flames near fuel pumps as thick smoke rises: The Chilliwack Fire Department said it was called in for mutual aid support after the blaze spread from the motorhome to the gas station. Assistant Fire Chief Krista Minar said Chilliwack firefighters assisted the Popkum Fire Department, which is leading an investigation into the fire. RCMP also attended the scene. Video shared on social media by Stéphane R. Hébert, who was passing by at the time, shows thick black smoke rising into the air and a motorhome fully engulfed in flames near fuel pumps. "We changed lanes to be as far away from it as possible because it appeared to be burning quite close to the propane tank," Hébert told CBC News. "We were concerned that it might explode and so we wanted to get past it as quickly as possible." CBC News has reached out to the Fraser Valley Regional District for details on the extent of the damage and whether there is any ongoing risk to the area.
CBC
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CBC
Motorhome fire spreads to gas station near Chilliwack, B.C., sends 3 to hospital
Social Sharing A fire that began in a motorhome near Chilliwack, B.C. on Saturday spread to a nearby gas station, sending three people to hospital, with one in critical condition. The incident happened just before noon at a fuel station off Highway 1 on Bridal Falls Road in Rosedale, east of Chilliwack. In a statement to CBC News, B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) said it received a call at 11:58 a.m. and responded with multiple units, including a critical care helicopter. The person in critical condition was airlifted to hospital and the two others were transported by ground in stable condition, BCEHS said. WATCH | Motorhome engulfed in flames near fuel pumps as thick smoke rises: Gas station and motorhome fire near Chilliwack leaves 1 person in critical condition 29 minutes ago Duration 0:26 A motorhome caught fire Saturday at a Shell gas station near Bridal Falls Road in Rosedale, B.C., sending flames and thick black smoke into the air. The fire spread to the fuel station and left one person in critical condition. Video captured by a passing driver shows the blaze up close. (Submitted by Stéphane R. Hébert) The Chilliwack Fire Department said it was called in for mutual aid support after the blaze spread from the motorhome to the gas station. Assistant Fire Chief Krista Minar said Chilliwack firefighters assisted the Popkum Fire Department, which is leading an investigation into the fire. RCMP also attended the scene. Video shared on social media by Stéphane R. Hébert, who was passing by at the time, shows thick black smoke rising into the air and a motorhome fully engulfed in flames near fuel pumps. "We changed lanes to be as far away from it as possible because it appeared to be burning quite close to the propane tank," Hébert told CBC News. "We were concerned that it might explode and so we wanted to get past it as quickly as possible." CBC News has reached out to the Fraser Valley Regional District for details on the extent of the damage and whether there is any ongoing risk to the area.
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Irish Times
‘It's gone absolutely loony': as Ireland's campervan culture explodes, problems arise
If you try to book a park-up spot on a tourist trail for your campervan this June bank holiday weekend, you will probably be told none are available. This form of tourism is at an all-time high. More than 20,000 campervans are under licence in Ireland. The boom in ownership has come since the Covid pandemic; more than a third of those have been registered since 2020. Understandably, the pandemic was a catalyst for a product driven by a desire for independent travel after stay-at-home lockdowns and pandemic restrictions. Ireland is well positioned for campervan trips. The country's scenery and coastal routes are dotted with internationally renowned tourist attractions and there is no shortage of high-quality hikes, trails and surf spots to entice active travellers. However, infrastructure is often lacking. READ MORE Campervan owners face pushback from locals and councils, which often introduce vehicle height barriers and ban overnight parking near beaches. Toilet and waste management facilities, particularly in rural locations, can be scarce. John Whelan has been running Vanhalla – Camping Heaven , a blog and resource for motorhome enthusiasts, since before the pandemic. He converted his Ford Transit into a campervan about 10 years ago; the alternative is to buy a factory-built motorhome directly at a higher price. 'It's quite an outlay so it's important that people get it right,' he says. 'I always suggest to people to try it out first rather than investing and finding out the hard way. There's nothing as sorry as seeing buyer regret, and a motorhome parked up in someone's drive for 50 weeks of the year is not the way to enjoy it.' John Whelan, the man behind the website Vanhalla. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Whelan and his wife, Grazyna Rekosiewicz, were already avid campers, both in Ireland and in France, which is widely recognised as one of the most welcoming countries for campervans. They were accustomed to using tents, sleeping bags and gas stoves. He stresses the reality of owning a motorhome isn't too far removed from that experience. 'We had the camping bug, I suppose, and then decided to take the plunge,' says Whelan. 'I think some people wait too long to do it. Some people talk about doing it when they retire. I would suggest doing it when you have that feeling, that desire, that energy and capacity to do it.' [ Ireland's campervan boom: 'Most people will spend €45k to €50k' Opens in new window ] Buying their campervan was 'one of the best things we've ever done', he says. Whelan pushes back on the view that campervan owners don't contribute as much to a local economy as a regular tourist staying in a fixed accommodation; he argues that savings on accommodation are reinvested elsewhere. 'They do spend generously, and that is established on all other aspects. They need refreshments, entertainment, food,' he said. The absence of basic facilities became more pronounced over the pandemic, Whelan says, when pubs, hotels and restaurants were closed. While vehicles have toilets on board, owners need access to waste disposal facilities. 'If you go to France, Spain or Portugal, even the most remote little beach has litter bins and cold-water faucet showers just to rinse yourself,' he says. John Whelan's campervan interior. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw He says campervans are self-sufficient 'from a toilet point of view' but they need waste disposal for 'greywater' and emptying 'toilet cassettes'. 'Usually, people want to be able to empty their cassettes, their greywater and their rubbish, get some freshwater and have a shower. To be honest, that's not a big deal to ask for,' he says. Some local authorities have embraced campervan business with Aire sites, designated spots for campers with power and water at a low cost, including at sites in Sneem, Co Kerry; Portumna in Co Galway; and Dungarvan in Co Waterford. 'They realise that it's an economic driver for hospitality and employment in their areas,' says Whelan. Motorhome enthusiasts range from the young family with children to activity-driven surfers, hikers or mountain-bikers to retired couples. 'It's a fairly diverse community,' he says. In contrast to other forms of tourism, campervan travel is all year round, with some campsites extending their season. 'If you look at photographs taken last week around the campsites of Ireland, there wasn't a park-up to be got in places like Doolin and so on,' says Whelan. Campervans are also changing. David Hanley, a founder of Ennistymon-based Vanderlust , who builds about 40 custom campervans a year for clients in his Co Clare business, says demand for more compact vehicles has spiked in the camping community. 'Quite a few families have cottoned on to the fact that they can have a small transporter that they can use at the weekend that couples as a camper but also as a daily driver,' he says. 'That's one facet that's exploded hugely. A lot of people also started with large motorhomes and, after touring the country, realised that it's quite hard because of the narrow roads so they go to the van conversions which are a little bit more suited to Irish roads.' The length of time it takes Vanderlust to build a custom van varies, and it is also trying to facilitate the self-builds that have grown in popularity. Hanley says the company uses 3D software to design and builds vans and a lot of its jobs are bespoke, 'which is the reason people come to us'. 'We have just launched some flat-pack furniture for the self-builders, which takes out a lot of the legwork of building your van,' he says. A lot of people used them during the lockdown. Some people were very nice, and some were not so nice — Bill Lupton, founder of the Motorcaravan Club of Ireland On infrastructure, Hanley shares many of Whelan's frustrations. He believes a taskforce should be put in place to properly address the issue. 'If you compare it with the likes of France, it's shockingly bad. But they've had an industry since the '60s and they've built upon that,' he said. 'Some councils are a lot more forward thinking, and they've put infrastructure in place, but there's others that haven't, unfortunately. 'Because there's been an explosion in the number of campervans on the road, there has been quite a bit of backlash from councils.' This month Jimmy Brogan, an Independent councillor in Donegal, called for campervan culture to be embraced and new facilities to be built amid renewed concerns over the large number of vehicles parked at scenic spots in the county. When Bill Lupton bought his first campervan in 1983, it was a much less common venture. Tax was high and insurance was hard to come by. He decided to set up the Motorcaravan Club of Ireland (MCCI). Today it has 2,000 members. In addition to facilitating insurance, the club connects people with pubs around the country that can offer space to park overnight. He has seen the attitude around campervan culture change. In earlier years, he says, there was a great novelty around driving a campervan. Nowadays there can be more scepticism, and though he believes 90 per cent of owners are good and well-meaning, some give campervans a bad name. 'In the early days, when we were really stuck for tourism at the time, we did an awful lot of hard work to try and get the tourism board onside,' says Lupton. The club went to Britain and Europe to sell what Ireland had to offer and 'a freedom that you wouldn't get anywhere else', he says. 'We got a lot of people from the UK coming over here. 'In the last few years, since Covid, it went absolutely loony – people buying campers. A lot of people used them during the lockdown because they had a freedom to go where they liked and how they liked, bringing their house on their back. 'Some people were very nice, and some were not so nice.' Working with almost 20,000 members over the years, Lupton has seen the Irish interest in campervans rise and rise. The infrastructure to support, in many ways, has yet to follow.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
TONY HETHERINGTON: I was hounded over an £11 road toll in Hungary - which I'd paid!
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. J.W. writes: Trace Debt Recovery UK, acting on behalf of Euro Parking Collection, is attempting to fine me £303. The alleged offence is non-payment of a road toll in Hungary, where I was driving my motorhome in 2023. I paid the correct toll of 5,500 Hungarian forints (about £11) at the time, and presented my vehicle registration document to the cashier, but they mistakenly recorded the letter D on the numberplate as a letter P. Tony Hetherington replies: Trace Debt Recovery UK, based in Northampton, sent you a mass-produced threatening letter. Headed 'Final Notice', it warned that if you failed to hand over £303, you could face county court action which might damage your credit rating. What makes me think the letter was mass-produced? Well, it refers to the 'date of the parking charge notice', completely contradicting the allegation that you have an 'outstanding unpaid Hungarian toll roads penalty charge notice'. There's a bit of a difference! I asked the debt collectors to take no action while I contacted their client, Euro Parking Collection (EPC), and they immediately agreed. This was sensible, since you have the receipt proving you paid the toll fee in Hungary, and the mistake was not made by you. Surely EPC would understand? Well, no. It ruled that you were at fault for failing to spot the cashier had got it wrong. Grudgingly it scrapped the demand for £303, but replaced it with a £49 bill – it described this as an 'administrative charge' to alter its records to show the correct registration. It would have been easy for you to give in to any of these threats, but you told me: 'They are bullying people into paying up. Not me! Twenty years in the RAF has given me a thick skin.' EPC told me it was just obeying rules set by its Hungarian client. Fine, I replied, so this is a civil debt case, not a criminal matter. Surely it should be considered in a civil court in Hungary? Or, if EPC believed it could sue you in a UK court, then you could name the cashier and the cashier's employer as witnesses. So I asked EPC to provide their details, and heard back that it was unable to speak on behalf of its client – yet this is exactly what it is doing when it issues demands. On top of this, EPC is a member of the British Parking Association, the trade body which says its members should accept minor keying errors as long as the driver has paid the parking fee. I also reminded EPC that paying the DVLA in Swansea to hand over your name and address did not comply with its data protection rules, where motorists' details 'may not be shared with any organisations based outside the UK'. In a nutshell, the Hungarians lost no money because you'd paid the toll road fee, but they demanded more money because of the mistake made by their own employee. They hired EPC to collect the cash and EPC hired Trace Debt Recovery UK to threaten you. But none of them are a penny richer because you had the guts to stand up to them. Now let our Government explain why it caves in to every attempt to regulate the sharks who inhabit the car park industry. My £1,100 gas bill – for an empty house A.R. writes: My father died in June. I informed British Gas and the electricity supply was put in my name, but the gas account was unchanged for months. In November, I smelled gas. Cadent Gas came and found the meter was leaking, so they changed it and recorded the readings. British Gas then sent me a big bill. Tony Hetherington replies: You told British Gas the house was unoccupied, and it said it would cancel the bill, but two weeks later an even bigger demand arrived. An engineer confirmed the new meter was faulty. However, the bills kept coming, and by the time you contacted me you were facing demands totalling more than £1,100. You were asked for a meter reading from when you moved into the house – but you had never moved in. I asked British Gas to investigate, and staff quickly found that Cadent Gas's meter readings were incorrect. The readings have now been amended to show that you used no gas at all. British Gas was willing to offer you a goodwill gesture of £100 too, but you declined this, telling me that all you wanted was for the demands to be sorted out, and this has now been done.
