Drunk broke into caravan - then set fire to it to keep warm (From Bournemouth Echo)

Drunk broke into caravan - then set fire to it to keep warm

10:00am Friday 1st March 2013 in News

A HAPLESS drunk broke into a caravan in Bournemouth and set a kitchen drawer on fire to keep warm on Friday morning.

The incident took place in the car park of the Ensbury Park Hotel off Columbia Road around 6.35am.

Caravan owner, Piotr Kalisz, who lives at the hotel, said he was alerted to the blaze by a friend leaving for work early.

“She told me my caravan was on fire and she could see something moving inside”, he said.

“I put my clothes on and went downstairs and found this homeless man lying on the bed.

“I tried to wake him up but he didn't want to move. I asked him to leave but he refused.

“So I took the drawer outside and called the police.”

He said the kitchen drawer had been put on the floor of the caravan and set light with paper inside, causing damage to the carpet and burning a hole in the bottom of the drawer.

Polish-born Piotr, owner of Poole LPG Service, added: “He must have broken in. I just brought the caravan back here to wash it because it's dirty after the winter.

“We can't really do anything because he is homeless. I wouldn't be able to get the money for the damage and I was worried about what he might do if I asked the police to take him away.

“He was just drunk.

“When I rang the police I told the person on the phone that I only needed the police but then two fire engines and an ambulance turned up.

“It was a lot of fuss.

“When he did come out he was holding a can of lager and asked the policeman for a lift to Bournemouth.

“In the end he just wandered off.

“He did say sorry though before he went.”

A spokesperson for Dorset Fire and Rescue confirmed the cause of the blaze was deliberate.