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Many of you know that Ginnie and I lost a GDRV rig to fire in 2016. Since that time, I've given a presentation on emergency preparedness at dozens of rallies across the country. One of the things I stress is to have better fire fighting equipment and training on how to use it.
Well tonight we had Deja Vu. We had another RV fire ignite. But this time we were prepared. We had plenty of fire extinguisher capability and the training on how to use them.
We were heading out today for a rally in California. But we had a hitch problem which prompted us to return home. When we got home, I put out one of the slides and was met with some of the most intense flames you've ever seen between the bottom of the slide and the floor.
We had departed with a digital camera battery plugged into its charger and inserted into a wall outlet. During our travels, the charger fell out of the outlet and eventually wedged itself under the slide out. When the slide out was extended, the battery case was punctured and ignited. It was one of the most intense fires I've ever seen. I immediately grabbed an extinguisher and subdued the flames. Ginnie called 911 and I watched the hot spot. Five minutes later, the battery reignited just as intensely. But fortunately, I had a large extinguisher and two large back ups. If I only had the small extinguisher that came with the RV, it would have been exhausted on the first attack, and been empty when the fire reignited.
The fire department arrived and help remove the burned battery from under the slide. It was reading over 500 degrees and still smoldering. They remained on site for half an hour to make sure we were safe.
Fire Extinguisher Lessons
1. If you have any doubt, get out.
2. Call 911.
3. If you fight a fire, have enough capability to do the job.
4. Keep an escape path open.
5. If the fire grows, get out and let insurance take care of the rest.
We just feel very fortunate that we returned home before this incident.
Eventually, the slide out may have shifted enough for the battery to ignite while we were driving. If so, we would have lost the RV.
What's next? We're already making good progress cleaning up the dry chemical from the extinguisher. We will need to make a sub floor repair and flooring patch. We still plan on hitting the road tomorrow with another of life's experiences under out belt.
Jim
Well tonight we had Deja Vu. We had another RV fire ignite. But this time we were prepared. We had plenty of fire extinguisher capability and the training on how to use them.
We were heading out today for a rally in California. But we had a hitch problem which prompted us to return home. When we got home, I put out one of the slides and was met with some of the most intense flames you've ever seen between the bottom of the slide and the floor.
We had departed with a digital camera battery plugged into its charger and inserted into a wall outlet. During our travels, the charger fell out of the outlet and eventually wedged itself under the slide out. When the slide out was extended, the battery case was punctured and ignited. It was one of the most intense fires I've ever seen. I immediately grabbed an extinguisher and subdued the flames. Ginnie called 911 and I watched the hot spot. Five minutes later, the battery reignited just as intensely. But fortunately, I had a large extinguisher and two large back ups. If I only had the small extinguisher that came with the RV, it would have been exhausted on the first attack, and been empty when the fire reignited.
The fire department arrived and help remove the burned battery from under the slide. It was reading over 500 degrees and still smoldering. They remained on site for half an hour to make sure we were safe.
Fire Extinguisher Lessons
1. If you have any doubt, get out.
2. Call 911.
3. If you fight a fire, have enough capability to do the job.
4. Keep an escape path open.
5. If the fire grows, get out and let insurance take care of the rest.
We just feel very fortunate that we returned home before this incident.
Eventually, the slide out may have shifted enough for the battery to ignite while we were driving. If so, we would have lost the RV.
What's next? We're already making good progress cleaning up the dry chemical from the extinguisher. We will need to make a sub floor repair and flooring patch. We still plan on hitting the road tomorrow with another of life's experiences under out belt.
Jim
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