Wedderburn Fire Brigade Captain Anne Hassell said a resident was lucky to escape injury after unattended cooking oil caught alight and set the caravan on fire.

She said the man was asleep in the caravan when the fire started and woke to the van in flames.

“He had cooked some hot chips and forgot to turn off the fryer and fell asleep,” Captain Hassell said.

She said quick action from fellow park residents had the fire under control when firefighters arrived on scene, although the caravan and the annex were gutted by fire.

Firefighters arrived at the Hospital Street site about 11.17am and returned to the station about 1am.

“Korong Vale Fire Brigade assisted with the mopping up and Inglewood Fire Brigade checked the site for any remaining hot spots with their thermal imaging camera,” Captain Hassell said. 

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