Motorhome fire

Mart 63

Mart 63

Joined
Oct 17, 2024
Posts
329
Likes collected
1,133
Location
Costa Blanca
Funster No
107,212
MH
Rapido 8086df
Exp
2022
A motorhome on fire early yesterday morning in a McDonald's carpark in Benavista Estepona. I hope everyone got out OK, no mention of casualties.
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Wow! I know that McDonalds well, I normally stay in an apartment just up the road. I wonder what caused it? Just speculating but I wonder if it was an e-bike in the garage?
 
there’s smoke coming from the wheel arch, hope the fire wasn’t underneath the van and intentional and that there were no casualties..
the second picture is terrifying..
 
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Reading local press reports , no injuries sustained by the owner, occupants or others...
The first photo does suggest that the fire originated at the rear of the MH..nothing more to add.

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Stephen180 said:
Wow! I know that McDonalds well, I normally stay in an apartment just up the road. I wonder what caused it? Just speculating but I wonder if it was an e-bike in the garage?
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Or a petrol scooter petrol burns pretty well
 
The Wino said:
Or a petrol scooter petrol burns pretty well
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If it's a Petrol scooter, or a leaking gas cylinder, there has to be a source of ignition .
Gas cylinders don't normally explode, except when heated significantly, but the contents do, especially if not allowed to vent off to air..
The severity of the fire in question could cause concerns for the Firefighters attending, knowing that we all have in our motorhomes very dangerous substances...either LPG or Lithium powered products..
Going back to the source of ignition, a leaking gas cylinder, with sufficient build up of LPG lurking in some sealed cavity, may at sometime come into contact with a naked flame...a spark from a fridge ignition for example...or in most cases human error..
Electric scooters and Bikes are most at risk whilst charging, using a non approved charger or just poor quality items..
 
TDub49 said:
Another example of why the 6 metre gap much discussed on this forum is actully quite sensible . . . .
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It's in a fuel station not camping. Be careful what you wish for it could be seen as quite sensible to only allow motorhome parking for the day with a 6m gap so no parking allowed on any streets
 
Gellyneck said:
Do the photos not show it parked in a McDonald’s car park?:unsure:
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Sorry you're right it's also time stamped early morning. But if we're unsafe to park within 6m of it could start to cause problems
 
PP Bear said:
I was wondering if it could have possibly been an e-bike or e-scooter with the fire being so far back. Wouldn’t have thought gas, not from that area.

Terrible shame for the owners too.

View attachment 1089571
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Local said they've heard what sounded like a gas cylinder explode. Then the fire engulfed the van.Fire brigade tried to put out the fire.
No casualties.
Motorhome inferno in Benavista, Estepona « Euro Weekly News https://share.google/uWl1SgjtbjVq1eaY9
 
The Wino said:
Sorry you're right it's also time stamped early morning. But if we're unsafe to park within 6m of it could start to cause problems
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For me safety should take precedence over everything and, if, 6m is deemed to be appropriate so be it.
The possible challenge is is 6m appropriate?

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Gellyneck said:
For me safety should take precedence over everything and, if, 6m is deemed to be appropriate so be it.
The possible challenge is is 6m appropriate?
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So you think no one should park ever within 6 m of a motorhome in car parks on roads etc? I wouldn't think any councils would allow motorhomes to park more or less anywhere
 
Gellyneck said:
For me safety should take precedence over everything and, if, 6m is deemed to be appropriate so be it.
The possible challenge is is 6m appropriate?
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I think the places that I've read it, refers to 6m minimum. With the heat coming off that van in the OP, I think if mine were less than 6m away, it would suffer blistered paint at least. Any embers might set mine alight too.
 
The Wino said:
So you think no one should park ever within 6 m of a motorhome in car parks on roads etc?
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Parking OK as with any other vehicle but camping perhaps should be an appropriate distance.
Parking taken to be no use of cooking/heating/etc facilities?
Was this motorhome parking or camping?
 
Gellyneck said:
Parking OK as with any other vehicle but camping perhaps should be an appropriate distance.
Parking taken to be no use of cooking/heating/etc facilities?
Was this motorhome parking or camping?
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Was he parked, asleep or making breakfast? Or driving?
The fire could've started in any of those scenarios.

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Gellyneck said:
Parking OK as with any other vehicle but camping perhaps should be an appropriate distance.
Parking taken to be no use of cooking/heating/etc facilities?
Was this motorhome parking or camping?
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How many motorhomes stop for a break and put the kettle on when parked next to other vehicles I would suggest the vast majority. How many stop for a break in winter and put the heater on? Near to us in sandsend there are generally quite a few motorhomes parked overlooking the sea I bet they all make a brew.
 
Jimbohorlicks said:
Local said they've heard what sounded like a gas cylinder explode. Then the fire engulfed the van.Fire brigade tried to put out the fire.
No casualties.
Motorhome inferno in Benavista, Estepona « Euro Weekly News https://share.google/uWl1SgjtbjVq1eaY9
Click to expand...
Could it have been a lithium battery exploding
I do worry how safe these are in motorhomes.
 
Gellyneck said:
Parking OK as with any other vehicle but camping perhaps should be an appropriate distance.
Parking taken to be no use of cooking/heating/etc facilities?
Was this motorhome parking or camping?
Click to expand...
Probably overnight camping
 
I cannot imagine the neighbours have ever heard a gas cylinder explosion and I doubt this to be the cause, a 12kg cylinder would have torn the vehicle apart as it becomes unstable..a small disposable camping gas can go off with a bang and it's contents are sufficient to start a major fire..
In my opinion the first photo was a fire in the stage of early development..but being fueled by a source unknown..other combustible materials help to increase the intensity and spread of the fire...at this stage, it would be possible that LPG cylinders could cause additional concerns..
Regarding the radiated heat from this MH causing damage to another one parked 6m away, well it wouldn't have been ours...because human nature tells me I should moved it...

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jumar said:
I cannot imagine the neighbours have ever heard a gas cylinder explosion and I doubt this to be the cause, a 12kg cylinder would have torn the vehicle apart as it becomes unstable..a small disposable camping gas can go off with a bang and it's contents are sufficient to start a major fire..
In my opinion the first photo was a fire in the stage of early development..but being fueled by a source unknown..other combustible materials help to increase the intensity and spread of the fire...at this stage, it would be possible that LPG cylinders could cause additional concerns..
Regarding the radiated heat from this MH causing damage to another one parked 6m away, well it wouldn't have been ours...because human nature tells me I should moved it...
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Human nature?
Or common sense? 😇
 
The Wino said:
How many motorhomes stop for a break and put the kettle on when parked next to other vehicles I would suggest the vast majority. How many stop for a break in winter and put the heater on? Near to us in sandsend there are generally quite a few motorhomes parked overlooking the sea I bet they all make a brew.
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People may well do those things whilst parked to take a break but that does not invalidate the 6m rule.
Using naked flames/cooking is banned in parked vehicles in many car parks.
 
pelican said:
Could it have been a lithium battery exploding
I do worry how safe these are in motorhomes.
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LIFEPO4 are about the safest form of battery going far safer than lead acid.
They don't suffer with thermal runaway of explode.

Different chemistry to the lithium batteries used in cars and bikes which do suffer with thermal runaway.
 

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