Gone in 60 Seconds

Topic: Gone in 60 Seconds (Read 3666 times) previous topic - next topic

Gone in 60 Seconds

July 07, 2014, 09:56:13 am

Had a bad weekend last weekend. Cause of fire is so far undetermined. So there is one less Foretravel on the road than there used to be. Everyone is fine, I'm happy to say. Here's one tip I know for sure from this incident...if you smell smoke, get out! Everyone talks about how fast these things go up, and I can tell you it went up faster than I would have thought possible.

Now I'm down to working with insurance on valuation, which is a bit of a trick because there are so few of these on the road and the valuations vary wildly. Any tips?

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #1 – July 07, 2014, 10:10:10 am

Friend of mine stopped at a coach just out of Nac and told the driver, who was sitting inside the coach working on something, that his coach was on fire in the back. Nac fire dept came while friend helped owner but major damage, perhaps totaled coach.

I do not know what caused that fire nor brand of coach. He and I wondered what caused that fire about two weeks ago. Do you know what caused your fire, where it started?

Don told me on the fire he saw and alerted the driver, that fire was falling out of the engine compartment, was white smoke.

Mike

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #2 – July 07, 2014, 10:10:50 am

That's awful but glad everyone is okay!

Be firm with your adjuster. Best wishes.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #3 – July 07, 2014, 10:14:02 am

Wow. Glad you are safe and got out in time. Thats one hell of a close call.

What area of the coach did the fire originate from?

I would try to use MOT or FT listings as a basis for comparison for a real world price. Even then, I doubt your insurance company will do that and will use Blue Book which is much lower.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #4 – July 07, 2014, 10:22:11 am

Whew! Glad you got out ok. What were the circumstances of the fire? Traveling? Stopped? Working on something? Downright scary.

Makes me even more anxious to get a residential fridge... even if that wasn't the cause of your fire.

Best of luck with insurance.

Craig

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #5 – July 07, 2014, 10:22:38 am

I used Diminished Value Auto Appraisal Experts | Total Loss Insurance Claims | Wrecked to get a much better valuation on a totalled car. You might give them a call and see if they can go to bat for you.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #6 – July 07, 2014, 10:25:07 am

So glad everyone got out OK!

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #7 – July 07, 2014, 10:32:57 am

I'd say its a total loss

I am going to wait until the insurance business is settled before I speculate as to the cause. It was a 1992 U-300

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #8 – July 07, 2014, 11:22:11 am

Quote from: littledubz – July 07, 2014, 10:32:57 am

I'd say its a total loss I am going to wait until the insurance business is settled before I speculate as to the cause. It was a 1992 U-300

Would say it was worth somewhere around $30K. Good if you can supply any recent expenses, etc. Dealing with insurance companies can be difficult. Years ago, I had a total loss and was offered half what I thought it was worth. I did a lot of research for what the same year was selling for and after a few months, settled for about twice what they had initially offered.

Looks like it may have started in the interior. Fridge would be number one on my list. Easy for the fire to start and the fire spread from the wind while driving. Forward motion may have prevented detecting the fire for a minute or two. Too late anyway once it gets started.

Hey, my family has been in the fire service since 1927 so when I lined our refrigerator compartment with Hardie backerboard, there was a reason. Stop putting it off or rationalizing and just get it done! This area is a BOMB.

The older Foretravels do NOT have the fire resistive foam the later models have plus the OEM fridges are reaching the end of their lives.

The only thing burnable is cover on top of the roof. This could be replaced with an aluminum and then would be about 100% fireproof. Check the photos, do it and stop worrying: http://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100921130470085833749/albums/5794180000392973681

Looks like a good 6V-92TA and Allison transmission are OK.

I need the engine door! Looks to be still serviceable.

Pierce

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #9 – July 07, 2014, 11:46:00 am

You might look into hiring an adjustor to represent you if you don't like their offer. Do you want to replace? Same vintage or newer ? You could make them buy you an equivalent coach

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #10 – July 07, 2014, 11:46:19 am

Glad everyone got out OK. Be very firm with the insurance. They may low-ball you at first. Do your research and get lots of comparables from FoT and MoT as well as similar condition examples. Blue Book and the like mean nothing. Also take into account all upgrades. Your personal items should be separate. Read and understand your policy before talking with the company. Agree or sign nothing until you are satisfied.

Keith

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #11 – July 07, 2014, 12:06:38 pm

I too am glad everyone is okay. Fire is a top concern of mine. Just did the fire plan and drill with the boys on Saturday. Made sure they could open every exit window. Especially, if you travel with kids I really recommend a fire plan so everyone knows what to do.

Good luck with insurance. Hope it goes well.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #12 – July 07, 2014, 12:44:27 pm

Very interesting to see the substantial framework structure of the coach. Very sad, though, to see it on burned-out coach. Very thankful everyone is okay!

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #13 – July 07, 2014, 02:57:46 pm

I am SO very sorry that you have this event to deal with. It is a horrible shock, and not one that you can get over easily. Learning the cause will be interesting ... but it's not gonna help you stop seeing that image when you close your eyes. All the best to you. Again ... SO sorry.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #14 – July 07, 2014, 06:22:50 pm

WOw, glad you are safe the rest can be replaced. Just think of the fun you will have looking for another coach. Have to look on the upside.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #15 – July 07, 2014, 07:11:34 pm

Wow! So glad you got out safely.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #16 – July 07, 2014, 08:56:32 pm

Sorry for your lose. But thankful that you are safe. Like others have suggested, be patience, wise, and determined when dealing with insurance adjustors. They belong to the same group as used car salesmen IMHO John

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #17 – July 07, 2014, 11:39:32 pm

Glad to see others on the forum were thinking about a fire drill and exit strategy. Our coaches don't burn like the buses featured in last week's visit to the 1960's on CNN. With a petro product, Rich's title, Gone in 60 Seconds, is exactly that. Even 10 seconds can make a huge difference when trying to get out.

I went out to look at our engine compartment this morning. Think I will start with the Hardie Backerboard there tomorrow with the insulation under the protective layer of the cement board. In the generator compartment, the fuel system is on the opposite side of the engine from the exhaust system and no turbo so that will be last to make fire resistive.

Pierce

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #18 – July 07, 2014, 11:49:41 pm

Pierce, would not a fire supression system in engine compartment be better and easier. Surely that would put a fire out. Having the backerboard would not stop a fire just keep it contained??
JohnH

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #19 – July 08, 2014, 02:43:25 am

John,

I installed the backerboard (it's only 1/8" or 3/16" thick) in the fridge compartment to contain any fire for the short time any combustibles might be available. In the case of the engine compartment, our 2 cycle Detroits have a higher potential for fire as the turbo is mounted at the top of the engine and only a very few inches from the bottom of the bed. We only have to worry about the lower pressure fuel supply lines as all high pressure fuel including the lines and injector/pump are internal and not a hazard. The lower pressure lines are well wrapped and I would not expect them to spray diesel on the hot turbo. The danger here is under high power, the turbo may even glow and a partial exhaust pipe failure could put hot exhaust gases on the wood roof of the enclosure.

Immediately above all of our engines is the bed where a mattress where cotton may be found. Burning cotton produces hydrogen cyanide, the gas that kills far more smokers in bed (or sofa) than a direct flame. Incomplete combustion (no flame) also produces lots of carbon monoxide. Any failure of a turbo fitting will result in a substantial loss of power. This should always be investigated immediately. The backerboard will not be compromised by even a blow torch and in the event of a substantial fire, contain the fire and allow an escape to be made and perhaps have time to fight the fire. Would be nice to have a warning light wired to the instrument panel. Caught very early, it could be taken care of before much damage could occur.

A built in extinguisher will also work in conjunction with the backerboard in either putting the fire out or helping to contain it. In the case of a turbo pipe failure, the hot gases may outlast the contents of the extinguisher and the air intake is far enough away that the engine will keep running. Extinguishers also must be inspected, discharged and refilled each year by a licensed firm. Failure to do that may degrade their ability to fight fire. They are not like a fusible link in a sprinkler system that can go for decades without any maintenance.

NFPA recommends five fire extinguishers be carried in an RV. After an engine compartment fire has been discovered, evacuation and then using a dry chemical extinguisher into a engine compartment (from the outside engine door) where the walls and ceiling are flame resistive, has the best chance of saving the coach in my opinion. I have a five gallon pressure water extinguisher that also works well.

If a fire may be suspected, the very worst thing would be to lift the bed to inspect the area. Don't laugh, I'm sure it has been done before.

Pierce

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #20 – July 08, 2014, 07:53:20 am

Sorry for the loss, but glad everybody is unharmed.

I have an agreed value insurance plan. It was based off my purchase price. I will probably retain it for a few years in case of a loss as the NADA book value is about 50% of the market value of these coaches.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #21 – July 08, 2014, 08:40:20 am

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes and concerns. I will keep you informed of how it goes with the insurance settlement.

Rich

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #22 – July 08, 2014, 09:18:30 am

Like everyone else, we are glad you re safe. The "after" picture was pretty amazing with all of the structure still there. We saw the aftermath of SOB burning up in IA in May. A couple hours after it burned they were loading the remains on a flatbed. The only structure left was the front seat backs. Refrigerator fire.

Roger

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #23 – July 08, 2014, 10:20:40 am

I know this is some very small consolation, but I thank you for sharing this. This will make me put the fireboard in the fridge compartment, and look into making a suppression setup for the engine bay. Someone else on this forum kept us from losing our radiator to the oem cooling fan, maybe you'll keep us from burning up.

Re: Gone in 60 Seconds

Reply #24 – July 08, 2014, 11:19:12 am

Quote from: wa_desert_rat – July 07, 2014, 10:22:11 am

Whew! Glad you got out ok. What were the circumstances of the fire? Traveling? Stopped? Working on something? Downright scary.

Makes me even more anxious to get a residential fridge... even if that wasn't the cause of your fire.

Best of luck with insurance.

Craig

I would also like to know what the circumstances were. Were you on the road and someone flagged you down? I think we all suspect the refrigerator as the culprit, but I would love to know your thoughts and if there were any warning signs. We have a fire suppression unit behind the fridge (as recommended by Mac the Fire Guy) but I have heard discussion that the suppression units in the engine compartment would be fairly ineffective because it is not a confined space. A residential fridge is in our future, as well ... but mainly because I am tired of the erratic cooling and the laborious defrosting issues involved with the Dometic. It IS 12 yrs old, as well ... so failure is certainly in the cards. You have a lot on your mind, just now ... but I surely would love to hear more of the details, as you review things leading up to this terrible event. SO glad that you are OK!!

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