Green Eco Living as a matter of course go through a safety check of all its pods before being delivered to our customers. Along with painting the wall with a Fire Intermittent paint we also supply a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm as Standard. 

 

Glampers have been warned over fire risks after a young woman was left critically ill when a heater set her upmarket "glamping pod" on fire.

Lydia Wadsworth, 20, suffered burns to her right arm and a "severely" damaged respiratory system following the blaze.

A luxury camping pod
A luxury camping pod

Miss Wadsworth was injured last weekend while on a luxury camping holiday  in a wooden pod - referred to as 'glamping' - in Frodsham, Cheshire.

Fire safety and camping experts have warned that glamping accommodation must be treated with the same level of caution as traditional tents, and warned against using heating appliances indoors.

 

Nathan Brew, technical manager at the NFU Mutual, said: "Glamping is a new trend and the fire risks are very similar (to camping). These places (pods) are small and tend to be made of wood. 

"They tend to be wood to give the rustic effect and they tend to use a log burning stove - it's important to use it sensibly... they produce a lot of heat, sometimes up to 500 degrees".

Hannah Mansell, spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week, said: “When you are on holiday, fire safety is often the last thing on you mind.

"It is extremely concerning that we are seeing a rise in these types of incidents and Fire Door Safety Week is a reminder to all those that have a legal responsibilities for fire safety to take them deadly seriously, because dealing with the long term and life changing consequences of burn and smoke inhalation injuries is truly devastating."   

 

Ms Mansell cautioned against cooking inside using temporary camping stoves, saying "this isn’t just a fire risk, but a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as well".

Website campingexpert.co.uk warns that accommodation such as glamping pods may "present even more potential for a fire risk" because of their "design and purpose".

It advises: "Never light a candle or have any other kind of flame burning apparatus in or near to a tent. Even in the larger tents which are marketed as being more geared to cooking, recommendations suggest that, whenever possible, you cook outside and away from the tent. If you do have a large tent and are planning on cooking inside, you need to be especially vigilant."

Lydia suffered damage to her respiratory system in the blaze
Lydia suffered damage to her respiratory system in the blaze

Miss Wadsworth, from Ashton-in-Makerfield, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, suffered "severe" damage to her throat and lungs from the blaze which was started from a log burner inside her accommodation.

She is thought to have been with her boyfriend,  Rob McDonnell, 24, when the pair were rescued.

She is now being treated at the specialist Whiston Hospital, in Merseyside, for burns and her seriously damaged respiratory system.

Lydia became trapped inside the pod
Lydia was trapped inside the glamping pod

Miss Wadsworth's family updated friends and relatives on social media, writing: "Just to let you all know Lydia is currently being nursed in Critical Care at Whiston Hospital following being trapped in a fire in a Glamping Pod.

 

"She can't speak as she has a ventilation pipe which blocks her voice box.

"However she has written to ask if we'd write a message to her friends and family thanking them for their kind wishes at such a difficult time."

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they attended the "accidental" blaze last Saturday at 11.35pm at night at the pod.

A spokeswoman said the fire was "accidental". She added: "There was a log burner in the pods and they put clothes onto it and they set alight."

Her family have been keeping friends updated on social media
Her family have been keeping friends updated on social media

The fire service said in a statement: "Two people who were inside the pod were rescued by members of the public prior to the arrival of the fire crews.

"One male, suffering from smoke inhalation, and one female, suffering from burns, were taken to hospital by paramedics.

"Crews were at the scene for one hour and 50 minutes."

The incident occurred at the privately-owned Cheshire Glamping Centre, at the Lady Heyes Caravan and Camping Site, in Kingsley, Frodsham.

A spokesman for the site said: "All we know is there were clothes pressed on the log burner. It sounded like a Puffa jacket that was wrapped around it to dry. That's all we've been told from the fire service. It didn't spread. 

 

"We've been running glamping for a long, long time and never had anything like this before."