Meathop Fell - PVC fire

I’ve just seen this on another forum. It seems no one was injured.

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As said several times by those who have seen the clip (only happened a couple of hours ago), you can see why the 6 metre fire break is important.

Absolutely!

Wow, that's some fire, glad to hear everyone was OK.

It would be good, in due course, to get clarity on the exact cause of the fire.

Regards,

Bob Earnshaw, who is on site and filmed the fire said it was caused by a spark while changing gas cannister

It’s hearsay as yet but the suggestion is that the gas wasn’t turned off before changing the bottle. As Rocky says, clarity would be useful so we can all be aware.

I've only just seen this video.  The more that see it the better as it shows graphically how things can go badly wrong and the risk to neighbouring outfits if they are too close.  As has been said, I'm glad no one was hurt.

I sent the video to both the AS owners group on FB and to the CAMC Chat group on FB. Both refused to publish it as it violated their 'privacy policies'. I commented how important the 6m rule was but they still didn't want to know.

Yet CAMC have allowed it to be posted on their own forum 

I can't understand what privacy policies have been violated.  Individuals and the make and Reg No of the van can't be identified and even if they could, so what.  It's in the public interest for camping folk to see how dangerous and frightening fire can be.

Hopefully at some stage we might be able to learn the results of any fire investigations. In the marine world we have the Maritime & Coastguard Agency's  "Marine Accident Investigation Branch", and their incident reports are usually very illuminating and beneficial in every respect excepting (if one were to be a tad cynical) that they do tend to lead to yet further legislation rather than education. I am trying to resist the temptation to comment on this sad incident but have to say that the existence of gas lockers within the habitation area of any van, and as often the case under the sink/cooker right next to the habitation door (which must be open to change the cylinders) is not the best of ideas since any accidental release of gas can be wafted towards naked flames, but then I don't know where the gas cylinders were on (or in!) the PVC in question. That area does however appear from the video to be a possible seat of the fire.

Does anybody recognise the make of van, or was it a home conversion?

I feel that the suggestion of privacy aspects is totally inappropriate. If there are relevant laws then the law is an * Inappropriate Word *. The public needs to know about the risks (as do manufacturers!)

After the CAMC Chat group declined my post, they posted this .....

"Just a reminder we have a privacy rule on this group.  Videos or pictures of car, caravan or motorhome accidents, or fires, either on a camp site or elsewhere will be declined."

As for the AS owners group on FB that is run by a site warden, so you would think he would want to publicise the importance of the 6m rule but as I've posted before, he is a awkward old b........

Actually, as this happened at a CAMC site, then the club ought to provide details of the cause, how the fire was dealt with, and any important issues arising without identifying individuals or make of vehicle, or infringing any privacy issues.  This was a significant event, and this would be an important service to all CAMC members (it could then be passed on to other forums), because we all need to learn.

Regards,

"Does anybody recognise the make of van, or was it a home conversion?"


It is difficult to distinguish the logo on that PVC but it struck me as being not unlike the decal on my Westfalia and, yes, my Camping Gaz bottle is in an onboard cupboard which is easiest to access via the rear tailgate.

I should perhaps have included in my last post that MAIB marine accident reports are publicly accessible on the internet and that the vessel names and those of some of the persons involved are often mentioned. I subscribe to these reports as a professional necessity but anybody can read them, so at least in the marine sphere privacy issues do not seem unduly pervasive.

The concerns that I hinted at relate to the ability of most petroleum-based vapours to travel rapidly over significant distances across horizontal surfaces, particularly if aided by just a mild breeze in an unfortunate direction. This applies to both petrol fuel and LPG. If the gas reaches a naked flame or spark and the gas concentrations are at the right level (around 4 to 10%) then the consequences can be explosive or at the least highly flammable. In the marine field any access point to a gas locker must be at least 1 metre from any opening into a habitation area or machinery space. Clearly that safety concept is not applied to RV's, perhaps because it would make life very difficult?

One has to wonder about the motives of any supposedly authoritative body in seemingly trying to suppress information that may be of benefit to public safety. Hopefully the "club" concerned will go public once the full facts of the case are known. At least however their distancing policy has been proven to be prudent and nobody was hurt.

How on Earth do you create a spark changing a gas bottle, am I just naive

Yes. 

Fridge left burning or trying to light (subject to precisely how the gas bottles are installed and changed) or somebody tries to light cooker hob, or somebody switches something on…………….. . It happens!

This also emphasises the need for a good fire extinguisher to hand (or even more than one), and to make regular checks that they are in date - or the needle is still in the green.

Regards,

Another one, this time an Americzn RV at Seaford.......

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