‘We won’t be beaten by caravan inferno’

May 29 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

‘We won’t be beaten by caravan inferno’

FORMER Perth Provost Jean McCormack yesterday lavished praise on 999 heroes who responded to a blaze which gutted a long-time family business in the Carse of Gowrie.

Against all the odds, the McCormack family is refusing to buckle after seeing their Perthshire Caravan Company premises and much of the stock reduced to ashes.

The cost is still being added up but it will run into seven figures.

The 25-strong staff have rallied round and it’s business as usual, with temporary office accommodation being drafted onto the devastated site hugging the Perth-Dundee road, near Errol.

Mrs McCormack, whose husband Ian and his brother Peter followed their parents Peter and Chris into a business created before the Second World War, was among the crowd drawn to the scene of the fire on Monday evening.

She said: “The firefighters and the police were utterly professional and we’re very grateful to them.

“It was really quite dangerous, with caravan and motor home tyres popping. There was also a threat posed by the odd gas cylinder.

“The fire was at its height between 8 and 10pm but the flames kept rearing-up and firemen were on site for another 24 hours.”

Fifty men from Tayside Fire and Rescue Service were joined by Tayside Police officers at the incident scene.

Former provost Mrs McCormack said the family had been amazed by the resilience and support they’d received from stunned members of staff.

“Some of them were in tears but they were all ready for work the next morning. Their support has been essential and much appreciated as we draw up plans to ensure the business continues to operate in tandem with operations at Arbroath and Loch Earn.

“We are clearing an adjacent building which wasn’t affected and bringing in temporary offices. We are also looking for a temporary place in the vicinity.

“Salesman David Millar even sold a motor home on Tuesday, which was amazing!”

Mrs McCormack said it was a traumatic period for the family, as they saw Scotland’s leading caravan operation reduced to rubble. More than 30 caravans and 20 motorhomes were destroyed along with the building.

“It was particularly distressing to lose The Raven caravan which was sold by Chris McCormack back in 1937, a year after the business began. We got a chance to buy it back from the original owners in 1974 and it took pride of place in the showroom.

“Peter and Ian’s mother was so proud of that sale. It was awful to see it reduced to a pile of ashes. It was a link with the past. Part of the family history has been lost.

“It was just so sad to see it go up in smoke. But we won’t let this beat us. Perthshire Caravan Company was the first of its kind in Scotland and it will carry on.”

Firefighters have been sifting through the wreckage and the cause of the blaze is not thought to be suspicious.