RV Fire

[ThatGirl]

We owned, emphasizing on owned a 2007 Winnebago Vectra 40TD. I loved that RV. We had the RV already winterized but it was plugged in to a 30 amp service as we were going to have my step daughters wedding and the RV was going to come in handy for an extra room.

Two nights before the backyard wedding, around 10:30 pm my son in law to be who lives behind us came running in to tell us our RV was on fire. Our RV was parked between a yard shed and a car garage housing a 1970 Cuda convertible and a 1956 Chevy ½ ton. Of course I called 911 right away. We were able to get the antique car and truck out but by the time the fire department showed up they could only try to save the building which they did a good job. The RV burned literally to the ground.
The fire chief's report stated it was electrical. It started at the back where the panel was near the washer/dryer. The insurance was reasonable to work with and they treated us well.

We ended up downgrading to a 2010 Fleetwood Discovery 40X. Love the layout, the storage compartments but we notice a huge difference in quality. But hey, we upgraded in years and we're happy with the choice we made.

Has anyone else ever had an RV fire? Is there anything we could have done to have prevented it?

[palehorse89]

Originally Posted by ThatGirl

We owned, emphasizing on owned a 2007 Winnebago Vectra 40TD. I loved that RV. We had the RV already winterized but it was plugged in to a 30 amp service as we were going to have my step daughters wedding and the RV was going to come in handy for an extra room.

Two nights before the backyard wedding, around 10:30 pm my son in law to be who lives behind us came running in to tell us our RV was on fire. Our RV was parked between a yard shed and a car garage housing a 1970 Cuda convertible and a 1956 Chevy ½ ton. Of course I called 911 right away. We were able to get the antique car and truck out but by the time the fire department showed up they could only try to save the building which they did a good job. The RV burned literally to the ground.
The fire chief's report stated it was electrical. It started at the back where the panel was near the washer/dryer. The insurance was reasonable to work with and they treated us well.

We ended up downgrading to a 2010 Fleetwood Discovery 40X. Love the layout, the storage compartments but we notice a huge difference in quality. But hey, we upgraded in years and we're happy with the choice we made.

Has anyone else ever had an RV fire? Is there anything we could have done to have prevented it?

Wow, glad no one was hurt and you saved your auto's! (Would love to see a picture of your Cuda! My brother had a 70 also)
As far a prevention, most of the time with this, most will smell a burnt smell, and will find the protective coating on the wiring melting and putting off the smell. Once a year, I re-tighten/check all the lugs in the main breaker box and the connections on the transfer switch. Heat comes from loose connections, and if not corrected.......heat turns to fire. Check "All" of your connections, 120v side and even the 12VDC side also.

[MSHappyCampers]

So sorry you lost your rig, but thankful no one was hurt!

[minibike]

Our power converter caught fire a while back. We keep ours hooked up to shore power 24/7. Fortunately, I was standing inside when I smelled wires getting hot and went on alert. Moments later, sparks began shooting about 6' out of the converter. Had I not been inside inventorying the pantry for our next outing, ours would have been toast. As it was, pulling the power and smothering the sparks was all I had to do (plus air out the coach for a few days). Mechanic said it was just the failure of a minor electrical part in the converter (about 8 years old). Since then, I've added a second smoke alarm and change the batteries each year.

I'm glad nobody was hurt in your case and that you saved the important stuff.

[denlock]

Sorry to hear about your rig. Glad to hear no one was hurt.

[chief02]

Electrical fires are caused by resistance that cause heat build up that melts insulation that starts on fire or ignites nearby combustibles on fire. Resistance heat build up occurrs when circuits are overloaded or loose terminal connections. An extension cord pulled partially out of a receptical with a load on it will overheat, melt, short circuit and start a fire.

[Mentor]

Originally Posted by chief02

Electrical fires are caused by resistance that cause heat build up that melts insulation that starts on fire or ignites nearby combustibles on fire. Resistance heat build up occurrs when circuits are overloaded or loose terminal connections. An extension cord pulled partially out of a receptical with a load on it will overheat, melt, short circuit and start a fire.

plus corroded connections

[Monster99]

Also poor internal connections and failures. some relays wear out over time and have poor connections and rarely an electronic part: diode, resistor, capacitor, etc... can fail and cause overheating and fire.

[CampingCajun]

What brand of transfer switch was in that coach? Monaco had a recall a
couple years ago on Iota transfer switches that were getting hot & potentially starting fires.

[TQ60]

Most electronic components fail when the smoke comes out.

Capacitors make grafitti.

Most devices are protected by fuses or small traces on the ckt board that blow open.

Poor design or resistive connections that generate heat combined with fuel.

If fire started at rear and if engine also at rear then possible oil had collected somewhere it should not have been and something else running hot got it started.

I would want to find a similar or like model unit someplace and investigate it to see what it looks like in a non burned condition to see what possibilities are for fire just to try to determine how it happened.

Maybe someone else has similar unit that could look and share.

Could have been a device added after factory or stock item...