A spate of caravan fires has once again sparked warnings for grey nomads and other travellers to be exceptionally vigilant to the risks … and to ensure they have all the appropriate equipment on hand.
Just yesterday, a caravan was completely engulfed in at a property near Mackay in Queensland. It took three fire crews — supported by Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance Service — to bring the blaze under control.
And a week ago, a man was airlifted to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after his caravan caught fire in the WA town of Pinjarra.
Four fire crews spent around an hour extinguishing the blaze which completely destroyed the caravan, and sparked a small grass fire in the surrounding scrub.
Firefighters extinguish a caravan blaze in Port Stephens. PIC: FRNSW
On the same day, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters had to fight a blaze in a caravan at Soldiers Point in Port Stephens. The mobile home was initially attached to a car parked on a grass verge when it ignited.
Fortunately, no one was inside at the time and no injuries occurred. Fire experts say the blaze was caused by a faulty gas refrigerator.
“Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) is an excellent fuel for heating, cooking and powering camping refrigerators, and is safe if used and maintained correctly,” said FRNSW Superintendent, Adam Dewberry. “However, if stored or used incorrectly it can become extremely dangerous … firefighters recommend that LPG equipment is inspected regularly, as fires are too often caused by a faulty or loose connection.”
While a working smoke alarm was present in the caravan at the Soldiers Point Fire and alerted the owner, who was nearby, to the drama, that is not always the case.
“Fire crews remind all caravan owners that NSW legislation requires them to have at least one smoke alarm where the bed is inside the van, and one in the annexe if people are sleeping there,” said Superintendent Dewberry.
The Pinjarra caravan fire and Soldiers Point caravan fire came just a week after a family on a long-term trip around Australia lost everything in a blaze which destroyed their caravan and their 4WD tow vehicle.
Nathan and Lauren Goncalves and their children had stopped at a campground at Fitzgerald Bay, about 40 kilometres from the SA town of Whyalla when disaster struck.
Lauren was inside the caravan when she noticed smoke coming from the car, but things escalated quickly despite help from groups of fellow campers.
Nathan, who is an electrician, urged other travellers to regularly check batteries and electrical equipment, and to ensure they always had a fire blanket and extinguisher easily available.
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I’ve seen a lot of DIY electrical jobs on RV’s that look cheap and sus to me…!
OR…they have got an unqualified mate to do a wiring job with wires that are not capable of carrying the power, get hot and melt.
Not the DIY’s only. Manufacturers skimp on costs too. I ripped everything out and redid it properly.