Holiday park metres from wildfire reopens

A holiday park that came within metres of a wildfire has reopened after people staying there were evacuated.

Holidaymakers at the Cliff House Holiday Park on the Suffolk coast were moved out on the evening of 29 July after the fire started at the nearby RSPB Minsmere and spread to Dunwich Heath.

More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak, 371 acres of heathland (150 hectares) were affected.

Timothy Hay, of Cliff House Holiday Park, said the site had now reopened but it was "difficult to say" how much money the business had lost.

He said 110 freezers' worth of food had to be thrown away after power was switched off at the park for two weeks.

The fire came just 15m (49ft) from the parks boundary and Hay said the firefighters had been "absolutely brilliant" and had saved his business.

"We were just one big gust from being in trouble," he said.

Hay said that the business would be making an insurance claim over the losses.

He added: "The main thing was there was no loss of life and the business will get back to normal."

Thanking local residents who provided places for evacuees to stay, Hay said: "A big shout out to the people of Dunwich and Westleton, who really pulled together, lots of our customers were put up by local people, fed and watered.

"There's a really good spirit and I think it's brought us all closer together."

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