Plymouth worker killed in catastrophic caravan fire

A worker who came to Devon to help build the Sherford new town died when a catastrophic fire engulfed the caravan where he was staying. Ryan Savage died just a few weeks after arriving at Butlas Farm in Plympton, an inquest heard.

A co-worker in the caravan next door could do nothing to save Mr Savage, despite his best efforts, and was beaten back by the intensity of the blaze. An inquest has concluded the 24-year-old died an accidental death after inhaling smoke.

The coroner in Exeter was told that shortly after 1pm on Saturday, March 26, 2022, the fire service received calls about a caravan on fire. Witness Brian Hughes, who employed Mr Savage, was living in the adjacent caravan when he saw smoke coming from the vents and the side beginning to buckle.

He ran outside and started shouting for Mr Savage who he knew was inside, but when he opened the door was "met with a wall of thick, black acrid smoke" and could not see Mr Savage. The fire was so intense that he had to move back for his own safety.

He tried to use a hose but it was not long enough, he said. He did manage to move gas cylinders away from danger and alerted the fire service.

Mr Hughes said he did "everything I could" to save Mr Savage. He owned the caravan that caught fire and, as far as he knew, everything inside, including appliances and the power supply, was in good working order at the time.

The inquest was told Mr Savage left his hometown of Blackpool on March 13 to work in the Plymouth area. He was employed on a sub-contract basis as a dumper driver and was described as a clean and tidy worker who had made a good impression and was enjoying living in Devon.

The night before he died Mr Savage had been out for the evening in Plympton. Next morning he told Mr Hughes he planned to do some work on his car. He exchanged texts with members of his family and the last known communication was with his brother at midday.

There was no indication he had any plans to take his own life or was unhappy, the inquest heard. An investigation was carried out into the cause of the fatal blaze.

It found multiple possible causes, including a carelessly discarded cigarette, a fault of electrical items, and clothing left too close to the electric heater. But it could not determine an exact ignition source.

The investigation ruled out any third party involvement and concluded the fire was an accident. A post-mortem examination found alcohol, cocaine and prescribed medication in his system.

Mr Savage, whose body was found on the bed, was known to be a deep sleeper. The pathologist did not know whether he was dozing, sleeping or awake at the time. Cause of death was inhalation of smoke and hot toxic gases.

Coroner Alison Longhorn said Mr Savage had clearly been in good spirits before his death. She said that although she could not be certain exactly how the fire started there was no evidence it was anything other than an accident.