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530ktm · 02-18-2019, 01:54 PM

Stopped in an RV park near Death Valley and a week before we arrived this 2007 Tiffin and tow vehicle went up in flames. Did not have residential refrigerator and was told smoke started in the control panel inside. Things happened so fast they could not get back inside to get the keys to the new F150 they were towing. Lit palm trees and a brush fire 100 yards away along with propane tank exploding like a bomb and other debris landing on other RV's and burning some spots in some. It was a fairly new to them coach and they had come from Virginia. Glad we missed the excitement.

SeeTheUSA · 02-18-2019, 02:00 PM

Unfortunate indeed. Hopefully all are okay, glad they didn’t get hurt.

1982 · 02-18-2019, 04:07 PM

"Control panel".... electrical control panel? I've been tempted to replace my main breaker with an arc-fault interrupter. Figured that rough roads could loosen connections and lead to arc faults, that would not trigger the circuit breaker, but could still start a fire. Have had them in a house. Anyone ever have one in an RV?

RKins · 02-18-2019, 04:42 PM

That's horrible - our prayers are with them. Glad no one was hurt.

Could they not unhook and roll the truck backwards without the keys? Keys could have been ordered later.

**JohnRR** · 02-18-2019, 05:09 PM

Need to have the key and foot brake on to get it out of park? With that much carnage going on leave the truck it’s replaceable.

keymastr · 02-18-2019, 05:21 PM

Well, they wouldn't be towing it in park but maybe they locked the doors.

V3600 · 02-18-2019, 05:49 PM

Doesn't much matter about the truck, they get a new one.

530ktm · 02-18-2019, 06:00 PM

It was very windy to make things worse. Smoke was too thick, embers flying everywhere. A fellow camper attempted to hook up to the truck and drag it away but too dangerous, especially when the propane tank exploded and sent things flying. The truck was not even connected to the coach, just sitting there. Fireman said once these things start to go the best thing to do is get away from it because it is not going to be saved.

FIRE UP · 02-18-2019, 09:59 PM

Well,
Yep, too bad about this situation and, not being there, not witnessing the ENTIRE incident, not seeing the time frame from the start of origin to the point vehicle approach was not possible, it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to make accurate judgements on just what the owners could or, could not or, would or, would not do.
Yes, the truck would/could be replaceable but, much of what COULD or WOULD be done in an effort to rescue the truck, would be based on the progression of the fire, rate of spread, and, what kind of hookups the people had. And, as for the truck being in PARK, what difference does that make? 99.99999999% of the automatics that are towed behind RVs are towed in PARK.

And, even if the doors were locked, that also makes no difference. It has nothing to do whether or not the truck can ROLL away from the burning coach. Unless they were parked downhill, the connections could be disconnected and in the “heat” of the moment, the truck “could” be rolled away at least some distance.

Again, without seeing the entire situation evolve, from the point of ignition, very hard to accurately judge. Now, some may choose to get far away from their burning coach when they had plenty of time to unhook the toad. That is everyone’s choice. After a career of fighting RV and any other type fires, each situation is different.
Scott

96 Wideglide · 02-18-2019, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

And, as for the truck being in PARK, what difference does that make? 99.99999999% of the automatics that are towed behind RVs are towed in PARK.

Seriously? That's what you think?

RKins · 02-19-2019, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 530ktm

It was very windy to make things worse. Smoke was too thick, embers flying everywhere. A fellow camper attempted to hook up to the truck and drag it away but too dangerous, especially when the propane tank exploded and sent things flying. The truck was not even connected to the coach, just sitting there. Fireman said once these things start to go the best thing to do is get away from it because it is not going to be saved.

Ahhh, so they had already disconnected and moved the truck when they arrived at site. So it was locked sitting by the coach. Makes sense now.

530ktm · 02-19-2019, 09:19 AM

This fire and explosions blew out windows in 2 small cabins on each side of it. Here is a picture of where the truck was parked in relation to coach. There is a washing machine sitting in rear corner and A/C unit sitting on top of engine remains. Battery compartment is also visable, it really roasted everything.