Coach burns to the ground

[palehorse89]

Parked in Cajun Palms Resort, the fella came in yesterday and this morning at 9am his Coach was going up in flames! Started in the back, imagine it started in electrical bay. They got out OK and stood and watched their Coach burn to the ground..........So sad to see! The owner is in the blue shorts in the second picture.
Check all your electrical connection's!!!!!! and make sure they are tight! My guess it started in the transfer switch??

[Electra 225]

Oh man.....sad. Good that everyone was out, and hopefully insurance will help him.

[BigSkyBob]

Originally Posted by Electra 225

Oh man.....sad. Good that everyone was out, and hopefully insurance will help him.

My thoughts as well.

[charliez]

Wow. It can happen. As said, check and double check things. Check again in another 6 months.

[momdoc]

Wow so sad. Glad everyone was ok.

[rrtribble]

Thank the Lord they were alerted to the fire in time to get safely out. Know it is a gut wrencher - think of the loss and things inside that can never be replaced.

Hope insurance moves fast to get them a new one so they can transition to their winter stay making all not lost.

Our prayers are with them and so thankful they were in a resort where there was a lot of room between them and the next rv. Think how tragic it could have been if rvs were on both sides less than 4' from them as I've seen in some parks.

[mobilemike]

Well. That trip will be a memorable one. Hopefully they are treated well by their insurance co.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Heartbreaking pictures. Can't imagine the feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness of the owner watching his coach reduced to charred rubble.


I too hope his insurance company takes good care of this loss and their journeys can resume.

[hohenwald48]

I've noticed that almost always when an RV catches on fire it completely burns up. There's never anything to salvage.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

I've noticed that almost always when an RV catches on fire it completely burns up. There's never anything to salvage.

Yeah, an RV fire pretty well defines "total" in total loss.


In the last century I worked briefly in general aviation manufacturing and was initially surprised at how regulated were the materials used in aircraft interiors and furnishings. Most restrictive I'd seen regarding flame spread, fuel contribution, smoke density and toxic gasses. Aircraft interiors don't burn quickly and are resistant to radiant heat-induced combustion (it takes real flames or accelerants to get them going). The idea is to keep the flames out of the interior so passengers and crew have a better chance to evacuate.


I don't think RVers would pay what those materials cost but it seems that there should be fewer easily ignited fuel sources *inside* the coach. Once the fire gets to the engine or fuel tanks it's all over anyway, but if an electrical fire happens at night, your only hope is the smoke detector in your coach and a speedy emergency exit.


The last time we had posts of a coach fire there was link to fire resistant document bags and cases. I'm thinking for $30-$50 or so, one of them would be the ideal place for passports and other "permanent" ID, some cash, medical records for the traveling family (including fur kids), insurance and ownership records for the RV and any other documents that could be needed "right now" and difficult to replace while away from ones domicile location.

[PKI]

My sincere condolences for the folks who lost their coach. Very glad they got out and hope they are able to recover and return to their travels. This is a terrible event for anyone to endure.

Questions - what insulating materials best resist the start of a fire? What fire prevention maintenance should be regularly implemented? What components are fire prone and should be avoided? Does anyone install automatic or manual fire suppression systems? What RV brands have fire resistant construction? Where are there sources to research this type of information?

This thread has interesting information: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/fire...dp-257344.html

When searching on fire resistant insulation, info on the additiuon of engine compartment insulation comes up, but not much on original construction. Suspect my search skills need a bit of improvement on this subject.

From a past life, keeping electrical connections clean and tight is critical in keeping electrical compartments safe from fire. However, when those breaker connections flamed, the cabinet just got smoked. Building sprinkler systems never triggered. Why do RVs burn to the ground? Materials of construction?

Appreciate your input and condolences to the tragic loss these folks are going through.

[Jake21]

Glad everyone is safe. That was an Alfa See ya.

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by PKI

My sincere condolences for the folks who lost their coach. Very glad they got out and hope they are able to recover and return to their travels. This is a terrible event for anyone to endure.

Questions - what insulating materials best resist the start of a fire? What fire prevention maintenance should be regularly implemented? What components are fire prone and should be avoided? Does anyone install automatic or manual fire suppression systems? What RV brands have fire resistant construction? Where are there sources to research this type of information?

This thread has interesting information: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/fire...dp-257344.html

When searching on fire resistant insulation, info on the additiuon of engine compartment insulation comes up, but not much on original construction. Suspect my search skills need a bit of improvement on this subject.

From a past life, keeping electrical connections clean and tight is critical in keeping electrical compartments safe from fire. However, when those breaker connections flamed, the cabinet just got smoked. Building sprinkler systems never triggered. Why do RVs burn to the ground? Materials of construction?

Appreciate your input and condolences to the tragic loss these folks are going through.

Just about everything in a motor home is flammable, the fiberglass exterior, the insulation between the walls, the luan inner wall, the cabinets, furniture, ceiling, everything in the closets, the dashboard, shower surround, electrical wiring, ducting, air plumbing, and window treatments. About the only thing I can think of that isn't flammable in mine would be the frame, toilet, tile floor, window frames, part of the air conditioner and the pots and pans under the stove! Add a hundred gallons of diesel fuel, an RV refer full of flammable gas, and a tank of propane and the question probably should be why don't they go up quicker.

Sorry they lost their coach, but it looks like they made it out with the important stuff.

[MSHappyCampers]