An Australian father is being labeled a hero after he towed his burning caravan away from his homes after it burst into flames.
Renae and Tony Butler were at home when their caravan, parked in the driveway of their home at Floribunda Place in Ormeau on the Gold Coast, caught fire on Wednesday night.
It is believed that the caravan’s lithium batteries malfunctioned, causing a large fire which spread to neighboring fences and trees.
Butler told 7News that nothing in his camper was in use at the time of the incident.
“The caravan has been sitting for four weeks, not plugged into anything, no charging, no lights, and it just started,” he said.
Butler explained that her husband and neighbors tried to control the fire using garden hoses.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, the fire inside the caravan worsened and threatened to engulf their neighbor’s house.
“My husband realized it wasn’t working and the only way to save his house, because ours wasn’t a threat at the time, was to get the caravan out,” she said.
Her husband then decided to tow the burning caravan to prevent the fire from spreading.
In the video, Mr Butler can be seen towing the burning caravan and placing it in the middle of the cul-de-sac.
‘The brakes of the caravan were still on; she just dragged him out of that area,” Mrs Butler said.
Firefighters arrived shortly after and took approximately 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters credited Butler’s quick thinking for keeping the homes from catching fire.
Gold Coast mother Renae Butler appeared on Sunrise on Friday morning and described facing the caravan fire as a “traumatic experience”.
The fire is suspected to have been caused by lithium batteries inside the van. Parked motorhome threatening nearby homes on Gold Coast
Footage was captured of the moment Tony Butler towed the caravan from his driveway to the center of his street. Firefighters told the family that his actions saved both his house and his neighbor’s house.
Neighbors collaborated to try to control the fire