Trailer Fire

[M2D]

There was a terrible fire this weekend in a fifth wheel trailer caused by a broken/worn suspension system.

The owner was on her way home from a dog show. Unfortunately she had 12 small dogs in crates in her trailer.

When she arrived home and opened the door to her trailer flames leapt out. This happened in Arizona. The firemen traced it to her trailer's suspension. They felt that it may have been smoldering for quite a while.

The firemen said that the dogs died of smoke inhalation. They were so kind as to help her bury the dogs on her property. It was an older trailer but I do not know more than that at the moment.

Someone at the show said that the owner had a bit of trouble hitching up the fifth wheel.

I do not know the owner. I happened to have attended the show and heard about the terrible incident on FB.

How often do all of you check your suspension systems? How unusual is it for a fire like this to happen?

M2D

[Ranger Smith]

Wonder as seeing she had a problem hooking it up if maybe the brakes were on via the breakaway cable or something and she didn't know it

[Dog Folks]

Sad.
But interesting.

The fire was inside the trailer, I assume the floor, when the suspension is on the outside?

No one saw it start outside first?

[gruelens]

From the attached news article w/pic .....

A fire investigator found that a broken suspension piece had caused some friction under the trailer which started the blaze, according to the Fire District.

12 show dogs die when fire tears through Arizona trailer - 23ABC News

[M2D]

She drove from St. Louis, MO to her home in Arizona. I am not sure how long that takes or whether anyone else was with her.

You would think that someone along the way would have noticed something and alerted her. Do any of you think that her insurance company will do a thorough investigation?

Perhaps it was some other system in the trailer that caused the fire and the suspension situation was just a coincidence.

Do trailers burst into flames very often?

Thanks,

M2D