Car fire costs enthusiast dearly

A LOCAL classic car enthusiast has contacted The Herald to warn about the dangers of leaving mobile phone charges plugged in unattended.
On Saturday, October 5, a fire broke out in the centre of Milford Haven at a garage belonging to Hugo Henricksen.
Fire crews from both Milford Haven and Haverfordwest dealt with fire at a 5 Fulke Street.
The fire started around 12.20pm. Three fire appliances, an ambulance and police were at the scene. No injuries are reported, and the family who live on the first floor of the building were evacuated safely.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a series of loud bangs, and flames coming from the roof at the back of the property, and thick black smoke.
The fire was under control within half an hour, and fire fighters remained at the scene dampening down for some time later. At one point Charles Street was closed off.
Speaking to The Herald, Mr Henricksen said: “I had recently a new phone and the phone charger was now surplus to requirements. It had been left plugged in at the garage for three years. At the time of the fire it was the only thing switched on, and the fire brigade have confirmed that the fire caused by the charger suddenly overheating.”
Hugo Henricksen, who is a member of the Milford Haven classic car club, had been collecting classic car parts for over thirty years, and there were many irreplaceable items which were destroyed, as well as all the tools in the garage.
There were two cars in the garage at the time of the fire, one has been written off and the other, which was still under construction, was partially damaged.
The value of damage to the property, the written-off rare Hensen M30 kit car, as well as other items is estimated to be over £90,000.
Mr Henricksen said: “I didn’t realise before that there was a problem with phone chargers. But since the incident I have read on the internet that there have been many incidents similar to this across the country, including unfortunate ones where people have lost their lives.”
Mr Henricksen designed and built the Hensen kit cars in the 1980’s. There are only 17 in the world.