Burning RV's

It's funny how someone posting videos of RV's on fire gets so many people thinking that RVs are fire traps. How come no one posts videos of RV's that are not burning? Because there would be millions of them. Yhe amount of RV fires vs. RVs on the road is statistically insignificant.

I have dealt with four vehicle fires over the years and one was a faulty fuel pump putting too much gas into the carb and the other three were electrical shorts. I have always carried around a fire extinguisher and basic wrenches and tools and with the electrical shorts disconecting the battery terminal was all it took to save the day.

With motorhomes there are both the engine problems and internal appliances that could cause a fire. Odds of it happening are extremely rare and would bet that most RV related deaths are the result of a traffic accident.

While you are going down the highway, there is way to much air circulation in the refrigerator coil area for a build up of leaking ammonia to be affected by the pilot. Not saying it can't happen, but it is unlikely. More likely to happen when parked somewhere.

And you should be inspecting your coils for rust and corrosion which is a indication that you have a problem that could lead to a leak and a fire!

2oldman wrote:
I think there are a few firefighters on here who might know. We can all guess. Of course you can google 'rv fires'

I'd vote for refrigerators.

Next would be engine area fires (MHs) - more so with gassers.

Next would be simple "carelessness" - same things that cause fires in a "sticks and bricks".

However..... in 30 years of responding to lots of "vehicle fires" on a freeway rated the busiest (traffic volume) in the USA - *never* responded to an RV fire.
Also, several camp grounds and off-season beach RV parking.
Zero, Nada.

Doesn't mean there weren't any (when I wasn't on duty) - or they don't happen - but the fire lads pass along the "events" at change of shift - AND the local papers love that stuff.

As a side note - responded to numerous *MOBILE* home fires in "trailer parks" over the years.
(*NO* propane involved).

Bottom line - stay safe!
Smoke, CO, propane detectors and an exit plan are the best Life Insurance you can buy!
(Pays *you* rather than your beneficiary)..:W

~

When I am traveling I usually turn my fridge on DC when we are a couple of hours out just to get a head start on getting it cooled down enough to stock it with things...

I don't think I would want to leave any propane on when traveling - just me.... I hear alot of folks do it...

We always buy our cold things at a WALMART just before we get to the camp ground. We use our 5-day heavy duty cooler alot when camping as well...

just my thoughts
Roy Ken

Pictures of roadside RV fires are more often than not motorhomes. And when the pictures show the fire shortly after starting, it is usually coming from the engine area.
Don't often see pictures of roadside travel trailer and 5er fires, but those are most likely from the fridge as there is not a lot of other things likely to start a fire.
Latest numbers from NFPA show that there are an average of 287,000 vehicle fires per year! :E
From National Fire Protection Association website.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of the highway vehicle fires began in the engine, running gear, or wheel area.

Next time you are on a long trip on a major highway watch for all the large blacken/discolored car size areas along the shoulder of the highway.

2oldman wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Running fridge on propane while traveling is no different than running fridge on propane while parked.

Is anyone afraid to sleep in their rigs?

Once in a while it crosses my mind... But then our fridge is older than the ones that are known to burst into flames. Wrong model.

I do believe that if we ever bought a newer RV we would just replace the fridge with one that runs on electric.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Running fridge on propane while traveling is no different than running fridge on propane while parked.

Is anyone afraid to sleep in their rigs? Seems to me *that* is what you should be afraid of.

It may of may of been....I cleaned it the week before.

we lost our 5th wheel in a fire a year ago. We were heading to Alaska for the summer. Lost everything including 2 cats. We never travel with gas or refrig on. We and insurance never figured out what happened but we'd bet on electrical. Extra careful now but not afraid to keep on camping. Did continue on to Alaska and loved it.