While this horrific motorhome explosion happened in New Zealand, the lessons to be learnt should resonate with grey nomads in Australia and elsewhere.
Having sold his house last August to finance an endless on-the-road lifestyle, widower Basil Lloydd, 65, will have to change his plans after one silly mistake severely damaged his vehicle … and could have ended his life.
With the help of a friend he had removed his campervan’s old fridge ready for a new one to be installed but forgot to close the end of the gas pipe off.
Speaking from Waikato Hospital – where he faces a lengthy recovery from his injuries – Mr Lloydd knows exactly who is to blame for his predicament.
“All my fault, I just can’t blame anyone else but myself,” he told the New Zealand Herald. “The gas must have been pouring out, but I couldn’t smell it.”
When the former forestry worker sparked the hob to cook his steak that night, an almighty blast ripped a hole in both sides of his motorhome and set fire to his bed. He suffered serious burns to his arms and legs.
Despite the pain, Mr Lloydd was panicked that the fire would spread to other vehicles in the campsite and jumped in the driving seat of the burning vehicle and drove it 100 metres away from other campers. He managed to find a hosepipe and doused the fire before turning the water on himself. Emergency services arrived very quickly and extinguished the blaze.
Fortunately, the flames did not reach the LPG and petrol tanks.
Mr Lloydd, who doesn’t have insurance for the campervan and hopes to repair the damage himself, has clear advice for all grey nomads and other campers … install a gas detector
“If I had one of those in there, that thing would’ve been beeping,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
Fire inspector John Rewi agrees it was an avoidable fire. Liquefied petroleum gas is heavier than air, so the gas would have stayed low as it built up.
“There were no smoke alarms in this vehicle,” he said. “There is only one means of escape, so you need to have early warning of any sort of fire.”
· Do you have a gas detector installed? Has it ever gone off? Comment below.
Bought a cheaper one then blew LPG straight onto it. Not a squeak. Tossed it made sure of positive ventilation. I believe the expensive ones do work.
Spray some fly spray near it. it should squeal like a pig.
Use qualified trades people with licences and insurance. I believe its a legal requirement in Australia. DIY is oK for some things but not electrical or gas.
Our Bailey van has vents in the floor near all appliances/ connections
Also have alarms
Feel sorry for this poor guy, but you can’t be to careful when doing things like this , very lucky he didn’t die
I had the same problem of not being able to smell a gas leak. I am afraid to use the gas stove,regardless of advice by other travelers that it is safe to use. However if I had used it I would have blown myself up. So after that experience I had a gas detector put into my motorhome for safety.