By DENNIS AMOR

FIRE service officials in the Northern Territory are taking a close look at fire safety in caravan parks.

This follows an horrific blaze at the Banka Banka Station caravan park, 110km north of Tennant Creek on the Stuart Highway, which reduced a family's caravan and 4WD to a pile of charred wood and twisted metal within minutes.

Although there was no suggestion this particular park was overcrowded, there are concerns that others sometimes cram in too many caravans in the peak season, creating a recipe for disaster.

"If we had been full here it could have been much worse so we are going to fully support any new regulations," a Banka Banka Station caravan park spokesperson said.

It is understood the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service wants new rules on the spacing of caravans and motorhomes in caravan parks and the authority to enforce them, with strict penalties for non-compliance. There should be a minimum of 6m between each caravan with clear access roads.

Meanwhile, the caravanning industry stresses that it takes fire safety in caravan parks very seriously.

Pat Strahan, chief executive officer of Western Australia's Caravan Industry Association (CIAWA), said overcrowding in parks was not encouraged and was not possible under the Caravan and Camping Grounds Act and Regulations.

He said parks in his state were "very tightly regulated" and local shires were responsible for annual inspections of fire fighting equipment and safety.

"The fire and safety issues were of paramount importance when the act and regulations were instigated," he explained.

Mr Strahan said that while the CIAWA was not an enforcement body, it supported the legislation and encouraged all members to observe it. "If parks are being overcrowded, then that is between the individual park owner, the shire and the customer," he added.

Victorian Caravan Parks Association executive officer Peter Corish pointed out that the Country Fire Authority had produced guidelines on caravan park fire safety.

"Our association recommends that all member parks meet the requirements of these guidelines," he said.

To download a copy of the guidelines, click here.

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