ARSONISTS set fire to a caravan in Dovercourt leaving little but a burnt out shell.

Firefighters tackled the blaze in Kingsway, close to the former Co-op site, on Wednesday evening.

David Flavell was returning to his flat in Kingsway when he noticed the column of smoke.

He initially feared a building may have gone up in flames, but remembered seeing an abandoned caravan there.

“That caravan was dumped in a little side road weeks ago and had been slowly filled up with rubbish by someone,” he said.

“I was coming back from the station at around 5.30pm and thought ‘oh my God someone’s set fire to the Wetherspoons’.”

“The first engine turned up quickly and was shortly joined by the second.

“It was nice to see the two fire engines turn up quickly.

He added: “The firefighters were warning people to get back because of the gas canisters you get in caravans – it’s a good thing there wasn’t an explosion.

“There was a lot of smoke, but it looks worse now – an awful burnt out shell next to where the new pub will be.

“If it had happened earlier there could have been a lot more people around and it could have been worse.”

An Essex Fire spokesman confirmed two engines from Dovercourt were called to the scene at 5.18pm.

They used breathing apparatus and one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire by 5.33pm.

The blaze is believed to have been started deliberately.