‘I should have died’: Winnipeg woman escapes burning vehicle during Whiteshell camping trip

A Winnipeg woman is grateful to be alive after the vehicle she was sleeping in caught fire in the middle of the night during an eastern Manitoba camping trip.

Crystal Theberge and her father drove from Winnipeg to the Big Whiteshell Lake campground Monday to stay at their seasonal lot. Theberge had been sleeping on a mattress in the back of her 2005 Dodge Caravan. “We had taken the back seats out because we were just going to use it as a tent for the summer,” said Theberge. “When I went to bed everything was fine, nothing was out of the ordinary.”

As she slept in the vehicle early Thursday morning, Theberge was woken by smoke and intense heat. “I woke up at 2 a.m. there was a wall of flames, like the entire front cabin was on fire,” she said.

Her head still foggy from sleep medication, Theberge tried escaping through the van’s side sliding door. “I tried to open that door and it wouldn’t open,” said an emotional Theberge. “I don’t really remember much, I just remember the flames.”

Theberge doesn’t know how she got out of the burning vehicle, but once out, she quickly woke up her father.

“I was banging on the door, I’m like ‘dad the car’s on fire, I don’t know what to do!” said Theberge.

The two moved as many things away from the flames as they could, then Theberge had to drive their other car to find a spot with cell reception so she could call 911.