A MAN in his 40s died when the caravan in which he was staying at Llangollen became a blazing inferno.
He has been named locally as single man Alan Jones, who came from Whiston, Merseyside.
People who saw the fire which ripped through the caravan on the Abbey Farm site late on Monday night say it took hold within minutes.
Two fire crews from Llangollen and another from Chirk were called to the site, next to the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey on the road up to the Horseshoe Pass, at 11.10pm.
They used two sets of breathing apparatus and one hosereel jet to tackle the fire.
Later, the body of the victim was found inside the charred remains of the caravan, which was completely gutted by the blaze.
A joint investigation by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police is now taking place into the cause of the fire.
People staying in nearby caravans on the site, which is not residential, were stunned by the tragedy.
Eyewitness Pam Curran was staying just a few plots away with her two children, 11-year-old Jack and three-year-old Sid, for the half-term holidays.
She said: “We knew the man who died, Alan Jones, very well.
“It was just after 11pm when one of the site owner’s sons knocked on our door and told us there was a fire at Alan’s caravan.
“He told us to leave our caravan for our own safety, so we did and stood a little way away in the middle of the field.
“The caravan was already well alight by then.
“The fire brigade came quite fast and started to fight it but nobody could have got anywhere near to save him.
“I knew Alan was in there because I had passed by his caravan earlier and saw the light and the TV on.”
She added: “We had known Alan for about three years. He used to come to stay here with his family from Merseyside.
“He was a really nice man and whenever we were on the site at the same time I used to invite him in for a cup of tea.
“It is a great shame what has happened to him.
“We were only speaking to him earlier on Monday.
“He had been into Llangollen and bought some sweets for the kids.”
Site owner John Davies said: “I knew Alan well. His parents, who came from Whiston, had owned the caravan for over 16 years.
“Alan was a single man and I don’t think he had ever been married.
“He had health problems and I think he had been on the sick after having a big operation on his stomach last year.
“He was a nice, friendly guy who kept himself to himself and this is a terrible tragedy.
“I live off the site but one of my three sons who do live there phoned me late on Monday night to say there was a fire.
“By the time I got here it was well alight and I had a feeling Alan was inside because he had been seen around the site during the day.”
He added: “I have only ever seen one static caravan like this go on fire before and that was 45 years ago.”
Another caravan occupant, who did not wish to be named, said: “I have known Alan since I first started coming here about two years ago. On Monday night I was in my caravan and heard the crackling of a fire coming from outside. I looked across the field and saw it was Alan’s van on fire. It was an absolute inferno.
“I didn’t think Alan was in there at the time but have since found out he was. It’s a real tragedy because he was a nice man.”
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “At the moment the fire is not being treated as suspicious.”
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is issuing safety advice to caravanners and campers.
Senior fire safety manager Gareth Griffiths said: “Fire can strike at any time, anywhere – and it is important that we are all on our guard and try to do all that we can to keep our loved ones safe.
“Caravans are potentially more hazardous in a fire than a house because they are smaller and more confined – it is essential that a smoke alarm is fitted to give an early warning of fire.”
l Last June two men died and a two-year-old girl was seriously injured in a caravan fire at Barmouth, Gwynedd.