Stephen (34) sees recently sold mobile home of deceased father suddenly burned out: « The buyer would arrive five minutes later » (Zedelgem)

At the beginning of this year, Stephen Pollet (34) had to say goodbye to his dad, who lived in the Noordstraat in Aartrijke. « Dad had three children but none of us had time or interest in taking over the mobile home, » says Stephen. « It was already an old beast, an old Fiat. Dad did enjoy his journeys with it, but more and more often we had to work. We have decided to sell the mobile home. This Monday evening the buyer would come by. That is why I had checked everything again this afternoon and a battery to charge. »

Lighter

Suddenly it went very quickly. Around 6 pm Stephen suddenly noticed a flame on the side of the Mobilhome. « Just a small line of fire, » he says. « My fire extinguisher was in the neighborhood and so I tried to extinguish quickly. But the fire just didn’t want to put out. It went on again and again, despite the fact that I used several fire extinguishers. I quickly called the fire brigade, but barely a few minutes later the mobile home was lit. »

The fire was accompanied by a heavy plume of smoke that could be seen a few kilometers far. Fire brigade posts Torhout, Bruges and Ostend pulled out. « Upon our arrival, the Mobilhome was lit up, » says fire brigade captain Eric Martens of Post Brugge. « It was clear that it was lost. »

« It is disappointing, but on the other hand I am still relieved somewhere that the fire was created here and not while the buyer drove it »

Stephen Pollet

Seller

« The heavy equipment car in Ostend was also asked because the vehicle stood against a building, and we might have to drag it away quickly, » says Martens. « That turned out not to be necessary. The full wall of the garage stopped the fire. Only the EPDM roof was damaged and particles were blown away by the smoke. But it is a new roof, there is no danger. »

Five minutes

The fire brigade therefore had the fire under control relatively quickly, but the Fiat-Mobilhome is completely burned out. « And that while the buyer was on the way to me, » Stephen sighs. « He was even five minutes away from me. I immediately called him, on which he could only make nothing but turn around. It is disappointing, but on the other hand I am still relieved somewhere that the fire was created here and not while the buyer was driving with it. Imagine that it would be injured. That is the last thing I want. »