About 5:47 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, during the evening rush, an equipment failure on a large recreational vehicle traveling eastward on Interstate 84 in Sandy Hook resulted in a swift-moving fire that destroyed the 2003 Gulf Stream Sun Voyager, reported The Newtown Bee.
Sandy Hook and Newtown Hook & Ladder sent about 15 volunteer firefighters to the scene. The 38-foot-long vehicle’s front end was engulfed in flames at 5:53 pm, when Sandy Hook Chief Bill Halstead arrived on the scene, the chief said.
The firefighters used 5,325 gallons of water carried on the five trucks that arrived on the scene to put out the fire. One Sandy Hook firefighter received a minor injury when his ankle was struck by a piece of metal sent flying across the highway by an exploding propane tank.
Michael Campbell, of Carmel, NY, who was driving the Gulf Stream to attend a NASCAR race when the incident occurred, explained that while he was driving he applied the brakes, but the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. He then kept pumping the brakes until he could regain some pressure on the brake pedal and was able to stop the RV on the right road shoulder. It was then that he discovered the fire in the engine compartment.
On “juice” brakes (hydraulic on gas motorhomes, and also on pickup trucks pulling RVs), the brake fluid should be changed every 5 to 6 years.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture, which boils when brakes used heavily, and the steam will cause your pedal to go to the floor.
Perhaps an article soon on the need to change brake fluid?
A friend of mine RV caught fire that started with battery explosion. Getting outside and using two fire extinguishers do not stop the fire.
Only saving grace, fire dept was 1/2 mile down the road, responding to an accident.
He was able to get his wife and his dog out. Coach a total loss.
Minor tip: Batteries fail more often because of heat.