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Appleby Horse Fair chaos as blaze breaks out with thousands of travellers attending
Tens of thousands of travellers descended on Appleby for the tiny village's annual horse fair, but visitors were forced to evacuate an area on Saturday as a fire broke out
A fire has broke out at a horse fair attended by tens of thousands of travellers in a tiny village.
Footage on social media shows a blaze engulfing a tent, stall and van in flames at Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. Huge crowds gathering to stare as smoke billowed across the fair that attracts thousands of gypsies from across Europe.
Some could be seen covering the faces with their jumpers and coats as they bravely ran towards the fire to start moving tables, chairs and personal belongings out of the fire's path before a small explosion warned onlookers to step back.
Some stall holders rushed to the scene and began dismantling a nearby white tent as the van became entirely consumed by the flames.
Visitors were then forced aside as fire engines and police officers arrived to tackle the inferno, with 'woops' and cheers heard in the clips.
Lauren Woodward, of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, posted on X: "Great to visit Appleby today for the annual Horse Fair.
"Brilliant to catch up with our crews and blue light partners and see joint planning in action as teams worked swiftly to extinguish a van fire. Thankfully no injuries."
The fire came as thousands of gypsies braved then rain descended on the horse fair.
The annual fair sees the 3,000 population of Appleby-in-Westmorland swell tenfold for a week in June every year.
The historic event first began in 1685 after a charter was granted by King James II.
Then came the 'New Fair' in 1775, starting on early June's Gallows Hill, an unenclosed land just outside the borough boundary.
Initially for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to trade stock, by the 1900s it burgeoned into a key Gypsy event.
The annual meet-up sees horses set to be traded tethered to railings outside pubs and shops on the market town's main street.
The fair has only been cancelled twice in its 250-year history, once in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and again in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year.
Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'flashing lane' - a closed-off rural road - before being haggled over and bought.
Families and even children hopped on their ponies and horses to trot down the lane, showing off the animals while others watched on from the side of the road.
Daily Star Sunday
Tens of thousands of travellers descended on Appleby for the tiny village's annual horse fair, but visitors were forced to evacuate an area on Saturday as a fire broke out
A fire has broke out at a horse fair attended by tens of thousands of travellers in a tiny village.
Footage on social media shows a blaze engulfing a tent, stall and van in flames at Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. Huge crowds gathering to stare as smoke billowed across the fair that attracts thousands of gypsies from across Europe.
Some could be seen covering the faces with their jumpers and coats as they bravely ran towards the fire to start moving tables, chairs and personal belongings out of the fire's path before a small explosion warned onlookers to step back.
Some stall holders rushed to the scene and began dismantling a nearby white tent as the van became entirely consumed by the flames.
Visitors were then forced aside as fire engines and police officers arrived to tackle the inferno, with 'woops' and cheers heard in the clips.
Lauren Woodward, of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, posted on X: "Great to visit Appleby today for the annual Horse Fair.
"Brilliant to catch up with our crews and blue light partners and see joint planning in action as teams worked swiftly to extinguish a van fire. Thankfully no injuries."
The fire came as thousands of gypsies braved then rain descended on the horse fair.
The annual fair sees the 3,000 population of Appleby-in-Westmorland swell tenfold for a week in June every year.
The historic event first began in 1685 after a charter was granted by King James II.
Then came the 'New Fair' in 1775, starting on early June's Gallows Hill, an unenclosed land just outside the borough boundary.
Initially for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to trade stock, by the 1900s it burgeoned into a key Gypsy event.
The annual meet-up sees horses set to be traded tethered to railings outside pubs and shops on the market town's main street.
The fair has only been cancelled twice in its 250-year history, once in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and again in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year.
Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'flashing lane' - a closed-off rural road - before being haggled over and bought.
Families and even children hopped on their ponies and horses to trot down the lane, showing off the animals while others watched on from the side of the road.
Daily Star Sunday