Exploding camper van blows the roof off house

A HOUSE was gutted by a fire yesterday after a camper van parked on the drive caught fire and exploded.

The blaze swept through the detached house, engulfing its roof and leaving a gaping hole, and just a charred shell was left of the motorhome.

A gas canister inside the camper van is thought to have exploded and the fire then spread to the house.

Nobody was injured but several people had to be evacuated from neighbouring homes in Findhorn Road, Inverkip.

Residents gathered on the street and watched after the fire broke out at 12:30am.

Neighbour Howard Pentland, 69, said: “The place went totally up. I think it was a gas bottle or the diesel tank in the caravanette.”

“The fire brigade were here all night. It was a full-blown fire. I would say the house will have to be bulldozed. It’s just lucky no one was hurt.”