Firefighters in Orondo, Washington, responded to what they believed to be a car fire on Highway 87 about 10 miles north of Orondo around 11:30 Thursday morning. But instead, the fire crew found a motorhome fully engulfed in flames, reported KHQ.
Firefighters used foam enhanced water to extinguish the fire. It took crews over an hour to put the fire out because of how much burnable material was in the motorhome at the time. There was also a propane tank located in the floor compartments that was venting sporadically, shooting a large ball of flames out of the base of the motorhome on the passenger side, creating a danger for firefighters.
Once the fire was knocked down, firefighters went through the wreckage, digging out hot spots and applying more water. A total of 3,800 gallons of water was used to put the fire out.
The owner told firefighters they were driving on the highway when flames erupted out of the engine compartment located at the back of the motorhome. The brakes then failed and forced the driver to roll to a stop. They were able to unhitch the pickup they were towing at the time and move it clear of the fire.
“There was also a propane tank located in the floor compartments that was venting sporadically, shooting a large ball of flames out of the base of the motorhome on the passenger side, creating a danger for firefighters.”
Such prowess of the investigative reporter! I guess the concept of a safety valve opening to prevent a BLEVE never crossed their mind.
(BLEVE – Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion)
RV’s burn very fast. Lots of fuel for a nice hot fire. Friend exhausted two fire extinguishers attempted to stop his RV fire.
Completely destroyed in less than 5 minutes. Only saving grace, the local fire house had a vehicle responding to another incident within 1/2 mile of his fire.
My rule is get the heck out, it’s insured.
It is likely that if they had installed an AFFF Engine Fire Suppression System that they would still have a coach instead of a total loss of their coach and personal belongings. The AFFF (aka Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) is exactly the same stuff that the firefighters used to extinguish the initial fire.