Emergency services attended a significant garden fire in Coleford on Sunday evening that involved a caravan and led to the arrest of a man from the Forest of Dean area.
Immediate response and cordon
Crews were dispatched after the incident was reported late on Sunday. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service says it was called at 8.44pm on August 2 to a blaze on Sunnybank Road, while Gloucestershire Police record the initial report as coming from The Crescent at around 8.50pm. Witnesses described hearing loud sounds like an explosion and saw a property’s garden alight; pictures shared locally showed large flames extending towards the side of a house.
"Police were called to a report of a fire at a caravan outside of an address on The Crescent, Coleford at around 8.50pm on Sunday 2 August. Nobody was believed to have been injured."
Resources at the scene
Fire crews from Coleford and Cinderford attended. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the attendance of three engines and said they used hose reels to tackle the blaze.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Call logged | 8.44pm–8.50pm, 2 August |
| Location | The Crescent / Sunnybank Road, Coleford |
| Fire engines | Three (two from Coleford, one from Cinderford) |
| Arrest | 54-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of arson |
Sunnybank Road and nearby streets saw police activity with cordons put in place as officers and firefighters worked at the scene. At the time of reporting, there were no reports of injuries.
Investigation under way
Gloucestershire Police and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service are conducting enquiries to establish the cause of the fire. A 54-year-old man from the Forest of Dean has been arrested on suspicion of arson and remains in custody while enquiries continue.
The force is asking anyone who witnessed what happened, or who has information that could help the investigation, to get in touch. Information can be provided through the Gloucestershire Police website quoting reference number 53260066769.
- If you saw anything unusual in The Crescent or Sunnybank Road area on the evening of August 2, contact police.
- If you have dashcam or doorbell footage from around 8.40–9.10pm, that could assist enquiries.
Local people have reported the blaze spreading from the garden to the side of a house. While there are no confirmed injuries, such incidents are unsettling for residents; the combined work of firefighters and police aims both to make the scene safe and to establish whether the fire was started deliberately.
Further updates will follow as police and fire services release more details.
