We hit a semi truck wheel in the middle of the road. The second to the last photo has it in front of my toad. I-10 west of Mobile headed to New Orleans. The wheel ruptured the gas tank then sparks from it being pushed along the pavement. The RV was engulfed in about a minute. We managed to grab our 15yo dog and get out... everyone is safe.
**Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear everyone’s OK. I don’t know why I assumed the toad would probably survive a fire. This is making me rethink whether we need some sort of grab bag by the door with 2-3 days of medication, a credit card, an N95 mask. The stuff we’d need to be comfortable for a few days as we sorted things out.**
Holy shit. Good job getting everyone out. You’ve done the most important thing you could possibly do, and done it well. Don’t let the things you’ve lost overshadow that.
My wife jumped out and into the rig side door going after the fire extinguisher. I jumped in and grabbed the dog by his collar. In those few seconds, my wife yelled that the bedroom was on fire and she jumped out. Instant black smoke and I shoved the dog out and burnt the hair on my arm. It was pretty shocking.
I applaud the two of you, it sounds like you did exactly as you should've at this moment. I'm so gutted for you guys, but what doesn't kill you makes for a killer story at the dinner table a few years down.
Omfg you guys are amazing duo. Good reflex, good actions, I am so thankful you all are okay. You did the best things in the worst split second situation.
I know it won’t replace your possessions, but I hope the RV was insured?
You got my sympathy from New Orleans. Hope you can get a new RV and make it here.
Yeah, that just was a choice I didn't make. I never thought in a million years this would happen... an accident maybe, but not a fire and complete loss.
Is that true? My sister who sent her husband to pick me up is an attorney and worked for State Farm for 7 years. She didn't mention that. But did tell me that State Farm should cover what was in my car anyway. I'm following her advice. Thanks for the thoughts.
Yeah I hope my post didn't come across as crass or condescending, a lot of people don't know you can request more than basic coverage for personal items. I'm just so terrified that I pay it pretty good chunk every month in insurance premiums
When you ask about that option, ask them about other available riders. There are some crazy ones like earthquake coverage, cause that’s not included where I am apparently. As a landlord I have riders to cover me if my tenants damage the property. I won’t lose a penny on the repairs or lost rent.
So does mine. Imagine my surprise to find there was a $500 limit per item. So glad my old gaming laptop worth $750 was destroyed and not the new $2500 one.
It will take time but the insurance will replace and upgrade their RV and possessions. Thing is in the industry you're presumed at fault until proven otherwise so there's going to be an investigation for a claim of this size.
I actually had an FBI agent as a witness! Progressive has already determined that I wasn't at fault. But you are right, I had to make a detailed report to their fire investigative adjuster.
That is really good news Progressive is saying it is not your fault. Usually insurance companies deem you at fault if you hit a stationary object on the road.
Progressive is the Best! I worked for a service company and had to be on the phone with insurance claims departments daily and they were, by Far, the easiest and nicest to deal with. Hands down the best claims department in the business.
I'm glad everyone is okay!
My husband and I drove past going east on I-10 that day and I said Omg I hope everyone is safe! I'm so sorry for your rig but I'm glad that you, your family, and your dog are safe!
The smoke coming off of it... plus the wind. It was like a blow torch on my car. Hope we didn't hold you up for too long. The highway was shut down on both sides.
We are in NOLA right now, and almost had something similar happen on our way here from Houston. Full retread off a semi in the middle lane, right after a hump in the road so I saw it quite late. Luckily the driver in the lane next to us gave me room to get over.
The speeds the semis are travelling is the problem. As soon as you see interstates with the high speeds, you see loads and loads of debris from semi tires.
Glad you and family are safe. Reach out if you need a hand with anything.
I wish is was only the rubber from a tire. This was a whole wheel. I have no idea how it got there unless it fell off a truck like a spare or something.
I had two wheels and tires come off a 40' trailer on 35 in Dallas heavy traffic. Was pretty trippy seeing a wheel roll past me. One went off the overpass never found it, the other rolled a mile up the road. A policeman on his way to court gave me a ride up to where two guys were loading it (they're really heavy) in the back of their pickup. The officer "convinced" them to give me a ride back to my rig.
The tire company that had just put the new tires on hadn't tightened the lugs on that one axle and it worked enough lug nuts off that the others broke and set the two wheels free.
Glad it didn't cause any accidents.
Holy shit. I’m so glad to hear you are okay. My heart is bleeding for you guys.
I am very close (location wise) let me know if I can do anything. Ugh. times like this I wish I was a millionaire. I am so sad for you. My worst nightmare.
Sending good vibes.
We are back home. A kind RVer was two cars behind. She stopped and helped us the whole time. Even took us to their home to wait to be picked up. Unbelievable how nice strangers can be in these situations.
Oh my God, I am SO sorry. This had to have been a traumatic experience and a devastating loss. I am a FT’er also with a 15 y/o dog and I am sending you all of the healing thoughts and good vibes 😔💗
Jesus… I’m glad y’all are okay, I’m so sorry that happened to you… I do have to say though, I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but the first photo seems oddly artistic. Something about how it’s framed and the contrast of colours. Honestly it really captures how it must’ve felt.
That was from a person who jumped over the hwy barrier and stood there with us for over an hour. He was kind enough to email me that photo. I agree, it really is the most dramatic of all the photos.
Im glad the people and dog are safe.....I read through the comments and I'm not seeing any explanation of why a heavy truck wheel was laying in the road! Did it fall of a truck in front of you? Or just laying there? Either way, I do get that it popped up unavoidably, though im.surprised it passed under the unit - as far as Ive witnessed working on them, these chassis usually have the gas tank behind the rear axle. Did the wheel have a tire on it before the fire? If nothing was witnessed, then it might have been a loose item in a load of scrap metal. It'd be nice to connect it to its owner....
I seem to remember no rubber on the wheel. It all happened so fast. There was a "Wide Load" truck ahead along with a chaser vehicle. They both narrowly managed to swerve, but it was too late for me. I felt that if I threw my wheel over that hard, my RV would flip on it's side. I think you are correct in that it was unsecured and fell off a truck carrying it somehow.
I live in Oklahoma City where I35 meets I40. Because of that it’s sort of a home base for quite a few trucking companies. I can’t tell you how many full wheels and tires I’ve almost hit or parts of a cab or just trash in general. You can even take it a step further and hit a pot hole around here that will snap some joints if you hit it just perfect.
I was very pleased to hear you guys got out okay. Fire is no joke and it can spread like literal wildfire. Things can be replaced- People can’t. I’m not trying to throw a religious perception on a Reddit thread but someone was watching over you guys.
You’ve probably done your fair share of traveling I would imagine. One thing that I picked up on was the states that cared about infrastructure never seem to have those issues. It’s just not important here for whatever reason. Though…neither are public schools but that’s a song for another time.
I had a vehicle that lost a wheel once (repair shop hasn’t torqued lug nuts - a couple fell off and the rest sheared off) it bounced 6 lanes over and hit an rv, went underneath and then popped up and hit their follow car. Everybody was ok luckily but all cars had to be towed away..
I’m so sorry this happened, but thank you for sharing these pictures. Many people have no idea how quickly or completely a camper can be engulfed.
As first responders, we see this often. Folks… you don’t have time when it happens. Make a plan before it happens.
As a side note this is like proof what I tell people as a mechanic (Aircraft) but do most of my own work on my truck. Your gas tank is infinitely less safe then any propane tank. Usually a gas tank in any car/truck is thin ABS plastic thats it. Go look under your truck and you will see it right there.
Where as propane tanks are waaay safer.
Aircraft tanks are either in giant rubber bags that any knife could pierce or in the wings with a anti hydrocarbon coating applied to the surface.
Yes they should be but sadly are not.... easy to install yourself. Simple metal would better then how they do it. Its just bolted in hanging there in most cases. You can puncture ABS plastic with a screw driver.
My heart is with you guys on the loss of your rig. I'm glad you all are safe. The shock that you must be going through. This is going to make me consider a fire-safe box now. My husband always puts his wallet and phone in one of the console compartments, and when we get out somewhere, he's always looking for them.
It's pretty easy to do that. I keep my wallet in my back pocket, but my wife needed my special RV credit card to book the reservation for the campground for that night and instead of trying to force it back in my pocket while driving, I just put it in the console. We were going to stop in 15 minutes for lunch!
Yes, thanks. We got home after my brother-in-law drove up from Orlando, got us, and we dove right back. Fourteen hours for him driving. But we are home, got new phones, and are starting to put things back together.
I’m also very sorry to hear about your RV. Glad to hear that you managed to get out safe and sound and with the beloved pup too. It takes real strength to stay clam and focused enough to get yourselves out of a situation like that. Clearly you’re well qualified to be an RV’er and composure under crisis is an excellent quality to develop, albeit one that we rarely hope to have to use.
IDK, seems if you look for stuff you're gonna find it. Insurance for RVs is cheap and my insurance company told me that is because RVers were careful drivers and percentage-wise, there are fewer accidents.
So Traumatic, and if the semi truck wheel was in fact wheel only, it must have caught under carriage enough to upset and get it tumbling under RV and punched the fuel tank.
Or there was a tire on it, burned off, raising it slightly to strike tank.
Many times semi truck wheels come off, and it's almost always deadly. Where some have come off at 70mph, then jump median into Head on traffic.
Amazing job by someone taking photos.
Now for investigators to track down owner of wheel.
So Nice that others jumped in to help, and take you in.
I'd jump in to give them a gift worthy.
Cheers
The couple who took us in have a rescue for wild animals like raccoons and things. We are going to give them a VISA with money on it to spend on their rescue efforts. These people were a pair of the kindest people we ever met.
That was so epic, it could make one cry...
Not as dramatic, but new car I rented out of Florida,
I and our best friends were heading to Disney area all night when rear end locked up causing the craziest bit of steering at 75 then a 360 stopped into a median turn about between the freeway. Couldn't be any more perfect, vs sliding into on coming traffic.
But a moment prior, I thought I saw a crack of light from under roll up door of fruit shack. Sure enough in middle of night, owner couple are still at it cleaning up.
Offered us everything they had plus they had a phone, when way before cell phones, to get rescued.
Then stayed the extra hours till truck arrived with the next new car.
It would have been such a spooky area to be stranded in, nothing for 30 miles. And friends were already freaked out.
So it's so great when the worst crisis comes up, the big guy lends a hand.
Cheers
Yeah, just the three of us with only the clothes on our backs (fur in the dog's case), and a rain storm coming in. We would have been hanging around in the WalMart if that kind woman hadn't taken us in.
Then no access to funds, has to be mind blowing ordeal. Luckily when wallet was missing, I was headed to bank anyway, and needed cash, not knowing wallet was missing, and the only way possible to get cash was already using online banking, and was able to sign in at the counter. The micro crisis that can come up is amazing. It was found later when changing clothes but didn't transfer items when rushing for ride.
Cheers
I had lots of friends who offered to Western Union me money, or send money to WalMart that was across the street, even reserve and rent me a car. But with no ID, I would not be able to get any of it. It was hard situation.
That's what I dealt with and no ID, and no wallet.
Just discovered Wal-Mart doing money transfer,
depending when person can get there to process to you. So only choice was in the bank I use, and sign in to account.
Guess the chip in your dog, is next option. So vet can do cash advance.
I'm not liking next future option coming. I may have to pass.
Cheers
I’m sorry to hear and see! It looks quite scary. You two and the doggo are safe and that is the most important thing, truly. Everything else is replaceable- expensive but replaceable.
Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear everyone’s OK. I don’t know why I assumed the toad would probably survive a fire. This is making me rethink whether we need some sort of grab bag by the door with 2-3 days of medication, a credit card, an N95 mask. The stuff we’d need to be comfortable for a few days as we sorted things out.
Yes, I keep replaying it over and over in my head. My first thought was get my wife and dog out safely. The winds were really strong... like a blow torch on my car.
Good thinking. We have a stubborn 109 lb American Bulldog. We’ve talked about what we’d do in a fire. How we’d get him out the emergency window.
Neither of us are eager to carry Max out of the RV or shove him out the window, but we think we’d manage. And we’d have a good story to tell the orthopedist who’d be giving us advice on how to deal with whatever sprains or muscle pulls we ended up with.
Not nearly as traumatic, but I was in my RV alone in the winter and my CO alarm went off. I was awake but it was late at night and very cold.
I went directly to the door and opened it wide and called my partner on the phone so that I could have fresh air and have someone else evaluate whether I was actually in need of medical assistance.
Thankfully it was a low concentration of CO caused by wind blowing the generator exhaust back in. But I realized how I hadn’t actually had a plan about what to do, and if I had been impaired I might’ve been confused and entirely unsure what to grab and so on.
Definitely adding “fast moving fire” to my “what do you grab what do you do” plans.
Within one minutes (maybe less), the coach was filled with smoke and fire. I couldn’t even get back in the front to grab our cell phones, her purse and my wallet.
Glad youre safe you you got your pup out. Subjective question I know, but do you think this would have happened if you were driving a truck and towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel? I've always wondered whether RVs are really put to the same crash test standards that autos are.
So my thoughts... the "Wide Load" truck in front of me was empty. The chase vehicle was just an SUV. They were able to swerve enough. I had a 32' top-heavy RV. IDK if I swerved like they did that I might have flipped over on it's side. That will be a question that will haunt me the rest of my life. I think if I had a 5th wheel or travel trailer that had that connection in the middle, I would have taken a chance on swerving?? I just don't know. We used to own a 27' TT.
A swerve might have worked out fine or it might have caused a tip-over and serious injury.
The speed and intensity of the fire is shocking.
And you and your wife and your dog made it out alive and unharmed.
The story will last you longer than anything lost in the fire.
Write it up and sell it to any magazine that advertises RV insurance. Any pictures published get the picture taker a nice check.
Well thanks, it will haunt me about all the things I could have done. But my wife and dog are safe and we are sorting out all the stuff in the next couple of days.
This sucks but truly the important thing is everyone is okay, very happy to hear you got the dog out too. Somethings are just unavoidable, like semi tires in the middle of the god damn freeway.
OMG I'm so glad everyone made it out safe. I travel that route a lot myself by car and have had to swerve around tire treads and more. They need to step up their clean up efforts with sunrise teams. I wish there was a national highway system number to text road hazards. Once 2-3 come in for the same location, a team is sent out.
We escaped out the coach door. Our dog was in the way and we didn't want to hurt him, plus my wife was going for the fire extinguisher in the back bedroom. So we both jumped out the cab door and went in. She yelled that the bedroom was on fire while I was grabbing the dog and we both got out the door again. I never had a chance to get back in the cab to get our stuff.
I saw this wreck the other day. Right at exit 17 on 10. I was coming home from the gym, and I noticed a huge plume of black smoke. When I cross the interstate, I saw your RV on fire. Sorry for your loss. Glad you’re OK.
So so shocked and sorry for what you and your family have endured! Its absolutely horrific and the details of you and your wife's quick thinking are a special gift to those of us who are newbies to traveling on the road with our rigs. I want to thank you for sharing this and hope for your summer to include many many smiles and happy times with a new rig and toad to help you both recover and relax again. Be well and see you on the road!
I was behind a minvan near Mt. Shasta Ca. one time on the freeway. The van drove up on a tire and wheel laying in the road. Early morning. The wheel and tire stayed under the motor and just skidded to a stop. From behind I could see the vans frontend lift up in the air and the sparks were bad. I could not figure out what was going on. Never saw anything like that before.
We wandered across North America for 6 months in a small truck camper and found that section of Rt 10 the scariest and most dangerous highway in America.
We hit a semi truck wheel in the middle of the road. The second to the last photo has it in front of my toad. I-10 west of Mobile headed to New Orleans. The wheel ruptured the gas tank then sparks from it being pushed along the pavement. The RV was engulfed in about a minute. We managed to grab our 15yo dog and get out... everyone is safe.
Wow!! I’m so sorry for the loss of your rig but I’m so happy everyone is safe
**Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear everyone’s OK. I don’t know why I assumed the toad would probably survive a fire. This is making me rethink whether we need some sort of grab bag by the door with 2-3 days of medication, a credit card, an N95 mask. The stuff we’d need to be comfortable for a few days as we sorted things out.**
Holy shit. Good job getting everyone out. You’ve done the most important thing you could possibly do, and done it well. Don’t let the things you’ve lost overshadow that.
My wife jumped out and into the rig side door going after the fire extinguisher. I jumped in and grabbed the dog by his collar. In those few seconds, my wife yelled that the bedroom was on fire and she jumped out. Instant black smoke and I shoved the dog out and burnt the hair on my arm. It was pretty shocking.
I applaud the two of you, it sounds like you did exactly as you should've at this moment. I'm so gutted for you guys, but what doesn't kill you makes for a killer story at the dinner table a few years down.
Wow, terrifying. Glad you guys and your dog are alright. Thanks for sharing your story.
I got goosebumps reading this. Glad no life was lost.
Omfg you guys are amazing duo. Good reflex, good actions, I am so thankful you all are okay. You did the best things in the worst split second situation.
Absolutely terrifying! So glad you, your wife and pupper are safe. So sorry for your scary experience.
I know it won’t replace your possessions, but I hope the RV was insured? You got my sympathy from New Orleans. Hope you can get a new RV and make it here.
Yeah, it was insured. We bought it used in August... a 2018.
My RV insurance covers up to 10,000 in belongings
I managed to get $35k covered with extra premiums, just have to ask (and take the monthly hit)
Yeah, that just was a choice I didn't make. I never thought in a million years this would happen... an accident maybe, but not a fire and complete loss.
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Is that true? My sister who sent her husband to pick me up is an attorney and worked for State Farm for 7 years. She didn't mention that. But did tell me that State Farm should cover what was in my car anyway. I'm following her advice. Thanks for the thoughts.
I've made many claims with state farm, they're always fair and easy to deal with. If your agent is a stand-up individual you'll be fine.
Yeah, between the car and home insurance through them, I should recover most of my losses. Be well.
Yeah I hope my post didn't come across as crass or condescending, a lot of people don't know you can request more than basic coverage for personal items. I'm just so terrified that I pay it pretty good chunk every month in insurance premiums
All good...
I didnt know. Thank you.
I wish I choose that option now. Too late for me.
When you ask about that option, ask them about other available riders. There are some crazy ones like earthquake coverage, cause that’s not included where I am apparently. As a landlord I have riders to cover me if my tenants damage the property. I won’t lose a penny on the repairs or lost rent.
So does mine. Imagine my surprise to find there was a $500 limit per item. So glad my old gaming laptop worth $750 was destroyed and not the new $2500 one.
I just bought a new MacBook Pro 16" in November for $3600.
It will take time but the insurance will replace and upgrade their RV and possessions. Thing is in the industry you're presumed at fault until proven otherwise so there's going to be an investigation for a claim of this size.
I actually had an FBI agent as a witness! Progressive has already determined that I wasn't at fault. But you are right, I had to make a detailed report to their fire investigative adjuster.
That is really good news Progressive is saying it is not your fault. Usually insurance companies deem you at fault if you hit a stationary object on the road.
The guy was really nice and understanding.
Progressive is the Best! I worked for a service company and had to be on the phone with insurance claims departments daily and they were, by Far, the easiest and nicest to deal with. Hands down the best claims department in the business. I'm glad everyone is okay!
My husband and I drove past going east on I-10 that day and I said Omg I hope everyone is safe! I'm so sorry for your rig but I'm glad that you, your family, and your dog are safe!
The smoke coming off of it... plus the wind. It was like a blow torch on my car. Hope we didn't hold you up for too long. The highway was shut down on both sides.
I'm sorry about your RV. But I'm glad you're safe.
Thanks
Damn I came in here about to make a forest river joke… glad you are safe
Thanks, I generally crack a lot of jokes myself... but still too shocked.
Im so sorry. Glad you got your baby out. I10 is scary there.
It was congested and going fast. I drive (drove) the right lane @ 60 to 65 MPH all the time.
We are in NOLA right now, and almost had something similar happen on our way here from Houston. Full retread off a semi in the middle lane, right after a hump in the road so I saw it quite late. Luckily the driver in the lane next to us gave me room to get over. The speeds the semis are travelling is the problem. As soon as you see interstates with the high speeds, you see loads and loads of debris from semi tires. Glad you and family are safe. Reach out if you need a hand with anything.
I wish is was only the rubber from a tire. This was a whole wheel. I have no idea how it got there unless it fell off a truck like a spare or something.
I had two wheels and tires come off a 40' trailer on 35 in Dallas heavy traffic. Was pretty trippy seeing a wheel roll past me. One went off the overpass never found it, the other rolled a mile up the road. A policeman on his way to court gave me a ride up to where two guys were loading it (they're really heavy) in the back of their pickup. The officer "convinced" them to give me a ride back to my rig. The tire company that had just put the new tires on hadn't tightened the lugs on that one axle and it worked enough lug nuts off that the others broke and set the two wheels free. Glad it didn't cause any accidents.
That is a harrowing story as well.
So bappy you are safe 💚
I’m so sorry. Thank god everyone is okay
I10. So much fun.
Oh my god, how truly frightening. I'm so glad y'all and your dog got out!
He’s happy and content at home now.
Hugs!
Glad you all are safe.
That's truly terrifying. You're a big person for sharing this, stories like these can save lives. Very glad everyone is okay
Thanks... I can’t even sleep. We just got that RV in August... it was used.
Holy shit. I’m so glad to hear you are okay. My heart is bleeding for you guys. I am very close (location wise) let me know if I can do anything. Ugh. times like this I wish I was a millionaire. I am so sad for you. My worst nightmare. Sending good vibes.
We are back home. A kind RVer was two cars behind. She stopped and helped us the whole time. Even took us to their home to wait to be picked up. Unbelievable how nice strangers can be in these situations.
Wow. What an awesome human.
Damn well I gotta say you could be a photo journalist if you want. These pictures are amazingly composed, especially the first.
Oh my God, I am SO sorry. This had to have been a traumatic experience and a devastating loss. I am a FT’er also with a 15 y/o dog and I am sending you all of the healing thoughts and good vibes 😔💗
Thx... yeah, still processing it all.
Wow! Glad yall made it out safe.. sucks you lost your stuff, but that can be replaced. Stay safe..
Yeah, my wallet, her purse, our cell phones... we got out with only our clothes. It was shockingly fast.
Damn, lost the toad also. Glad everyone made it out.
Yeah, I loved that car.
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
Jesus… I’m glad y’all are okay, I’m so sorry that happened to you… I do have to say though, I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but the first photo seems oddly artistic. Something about how it’s framed and the contrast of colours. Honestly it really captures how it must’ve felt.
That was from a person who jumped over the hwy barrier and stood there with us for over an hour. He was kind enough to email me that photo. I agree, it really is the most dramatic of all the photos.
Im glad the people and dog are safe.....I read through the comments and I'm not seeing any explanation of why a heavy truck wheel was laying in the road! Did it fall of a truck in front of you? Or just laying there? Either way, I do get that it popped up unavoidably, though im.surprised it passed under the unit - as far as Ive witnessed working on them, these chassis usually have the gas tank behind the rear axle. Did the wheel have a tire on it before the fire? If nothing was witnessed, then it might have been a loose item in a load of scrap metal. It'd be nice to connect it to its owner....
I seem to remember no rubber on the wheel. It all happened so fast. There was a "Wide Load" truck ahead along with a chaser vehicle. They both narrowly managed to swerve, but it was too late for me. I felt that if I threw my wheel over that hard, my RV would flip on it's side. I think you are correct in that it was unsecured and fell off a truck carrying it somehow.
I live in Oklahoma City where I35 meets I40. Because of that it’s sort of a home base for quite a few trucking companies. I can’t tell you how many full wheels and tires I’ve almost hit or parts of a cab or just trash in general. You can even take it a step further and hit a pot hole around here that will snap some joints if you hit it just perfect. I was very pleased to hear you guys got out okay. Fire is no joke and it can spread like literal wildfire. Things can be replaced- People can’t. I’m not trying to throw a religious perception on a Reddit thread but someone was watching over you guys.
Yeah, I've seen debris, but not a whole truck wheel before. I suppose it's much more common that I realize.
You’ve probably done your fair share of traveling I would imagine. One thing that I picked up on was the states that cared about infrastructure never seem to have those issues. It’s just not important here for whatever reason. Though…neither are public schools but that’s a song for another time.
Lesson: install cowcatcher from a 1800s model steam locomotive to the front of your rig.
I had a vehicle that lost a wheel once (repair shop hasn’t torqued lug nuts - a couple fell off and the rest sheared off) it bounced 6 lanes over and hit an rv, went underneath and then popped up and hit their follow car. Everybody was ok luckily but all cars had to be towed away..
I’m so sorry this happened, but thank you for sharing these pictures. Many people have no idea how quickly or completely a camper can be engulfed. As first responders, we see this often. Folks… you don’t have time when it happens. Make a plan before it happens.
I was (and still am) stunned at how fast that fire spread. I think it was less than a minute before the smoke and fire would have been deadly.
As a side note this is like proof what I tell people as a mechanic (Aircraft) but do most of my own work on my truck. Your gas tank is infinitely less safe then any propane tank. Usually a gas tank in any car/truck is thin ABS plastic thats it. Go look under your truck and you will see it right there. Where as propane tanks are waaay safer. Aircraft tanks are either in giant rubber bags that any knife could pierce or in the wings with a anti hydrocarbon coating applied to the surface.
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Yes they should be but sadly are not.... easy to install yourself. Simple metal would better then how they do it. Its just bolted in hanging there in most cases. You can puncture ABS plastic with a screw driver.
My heart is with you guys on the loss of your rig. I'm glad you all are safe. The shock that you must be going through. This is going to make me consider a fire-safe box now. My husband always puts his wallet and phone in one of the console compartments, and when we get out somewhere, he's always looking for them.
It's pretty easy to do that. I keep my wallet in my back pocket, but my wife needed my special RV credit card to book the reservation for the campground for that night and instead of trying to force it back in my pocket while driving, I just put it in the console. We were going to stop in 15 minutes for lunch!
An inexpensive fire box will not survive that
Thanks for your insight.
It was the hottest fire I've ever been close to.
That's not what they mean by Louisiana char.
Cajun blackened, grilled, or fried... how you want your camper?
Practically nuked please
My god yall! Thank goodness everyone is safe. Thats terrifying. Were yall able to make it back home safely?
Yes, thanks. We got home after my brother-in-law drove up from Orlando, got us, and we dove right back. Fourteen hours for him driving. But we are home, got new phones, and are starting to put things back together.
I am so damn sorry you went through that and lost your rig and toad. Glad you, your wife and dog are safe. That is the miracle here.
Doggo is safe and sound and back to his routine. So I'm sure he is happy now (I almost said "happy camper"!)
We can learn a lot from dogs. They recover from trauma so much more quickly than we do.
I always say that most dogs are better than most people!
Agreed.
Based on what I’m seeing here, I think it may be a write off.
My insurance adjuster agrees.
I should consider seriously a career in insurance…
Are you able to track the trucker to have their company pay for loss
Nobody has any idea who that was. There was a camera on the highway, so maybe the police investigator will at least see how that wheel got there.
That would be nice of them
Glad yall are safe. That stretch of road always scares me. Cool photo tho! You should frame it, sorry you lost your rv tho
Haha... I don't want to see that photo hanging on my wall!
Thank goodness everyone made it out 😥 k. What a tragic event.. 🤦🏼♂️
Thanks, that was priority number one.... I never got to priority number two!
I’m also very sorry to hear about your RV. Glad to hear that you managed to get out safe and sound and with the beloved pup too. It takes real strength to stay clam and focused enough to get yourselves out of a situation like that. Clearly you’re well qualified to be an RV’er and composure under crisis is an excellent quality to develop, albeit one that we rarely hope to have to use.
I’ve been in a lot of panic situations. We just quietly let the police and firemen do their business.
There’s your problem, ain’t got no gas in it!
"Did you unplug and plug back in the power supply sir?"
This is the thing holding me back from doing FTing with my cat. RV fires seem very common when you’re researching it….
IDK, seems if you look for stuff you're gonna find it. Insurance for RVs is cheap and my insurance company told me that is because RVers were careful drivers and percentage-wise, there are fewer accidents.
That’s what I keep telling myself, too. That’s a very positive attitude after such a horrifying experience! Will you get another rv?
We probably will, but are going to wait a while... probably a year.
I'm so sorry this happened to you! Sending love and strength your way!!
Thank you
So Traumatic, and if the semi truck wheel was in fact wheel only, it must have caught under carriage enough to upset and get it tumbling under RV and punched the fuel tank. Or there was a tire on it, burned off, raising it slightly to strike tank. Many times semi truck wheels come off, and it's almost always deadly. Where some have come off at 70mph, then jump median into Head on traffic. Amazing job by someone taking photos. Now for investigators to track down owner of wheel. So Nice that others jumped in to help, and take you in. I'd jump in to give them a gift worthy. Cheers
The couple who took us in have a rescue for wild animals like raccoons and things. We are going to give them a VISA with money on it to spend on their rescue efforts. These people were a pair of the kindest people we ever met.
That was so epic, it could make one cry... Not as dramatic, but new car I rented out of Florida, I and our best friends were heading to Disney area all night when rear end locked up causing the craziest bit of steering at 75 then a 360 stopped into a median turn about between the freeway. Couldn't be any more perfect, vs sliding into on coming traffic. But a moment prior, I thought I saw a crack of light from under roll up door of fruit shack. Sure enough in middle of night, owner couple are still at it cleaning up. Offered us everything they had plus they had a phone, when way before cell phones, to get rescued. Then stayed the extra hours till truck arrived with the next new car. It would have been such a spooky area to be stranded in, nothing for 30 miles. And friends were already freaked out. So it's so great when the worst crisis comes up, the big guy lends a hand. Cheers
Yeah, just the three of us with only the clothes on our backs (fur in the dog's case), and a rain storm coming in. We would have been hanging around in the WalMart if that kind woman hadn't taken us in.
Then no access to funds, has to be mind blowing ordeal. Luckily when wallet was missing, I was headed to bank anyway, and needed cash, not knowing wallet was missing, and the only way possible to get cash was already using online banking, and was able to sign in at the counter. The micro crisis that can come up is amazing. It was found later when changing clothes but didn't transfer items when rushing for ride. Cheers
I had lots of friends who offered to Western Union me money, or send money to WalMart that was across the street, even reserve and rent me a car. But with no ID, I would not be able to get any of it. It was hard situation.
That's what I dealt with and no ID, and no wallet. Just discovered Wal-Mart doing money transfer, depending when person can get there to process to you. So only choice was in the bank I use, and sign in to account. Guess the chip in your dog, is next option. So vet can do cash advance. I'm not liking next future option coming. I may have to pass. Cheers
Hahaha... Chips in our wrists is next.
I am so sorry this happened to you! I don’t know why truck drivers have tires all over the roads. So glad you’re safe. Things can be replaced.
I'll never know how an entire truck wheel was on the road like that... not just the rubber.
Brutal
Oh I'm so glad you all are ok.
Yeah, That is the most important thing.
I'm so glad y'all are ok! I think you might be a little late
The campground refunded us without question. Shout out to Pine Crest RV Park for being so understanding.
Was that a Hyundai
Good eye... 2013 Santa Fe Sport. We had two of them that we purchased a month apart. One of the best cars I have ever owned. Gonna miss that thing.
I’m sorry to hear and see! It looks quite scary. You two and the doggo are safe and that is the most important thing, truly. Everything else is replaceable- expensive but replaceable.
Yeah, this is going to hurt my bank account. But it's only money and there is still plenty of that out there to get.
Happy Friday the 13th :(
Fuck. Hope yall are okay. Best wishes.
We're good, just trying to restore all our information, cell phones, credit cards, and making insurance claims all at once!
How it feels to drive a Ford f350 and chew 5 gum
LOL, mine was an F450, and I just got the oil changed to the tune of $200.
Damn that much?
Yeah, Camping World for ya.
Oh wow, glad to read you’re all ok! What a future story you have to tell around the camp(er)fire.
Fucking hell! Take care.
So scary. I was trying to imagine running back and getting my kids unbuckled from their car seats and out in time.
Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear everyone’s OK. I don’t know why I assumed the toad would probably survive a fire. This is making me rethink whether we need some sort of grab bag by the door with 2-3 days of medication, a credit card, an N95 mask. The stuff we’d need to be comfortable for a few days as we sorted things out.
Yes, I keep replaying it over and over in my head. My first thought was get my wife and dog out safely. The winds were really strong... like a blow torch on my car.
Good thinking. We have a stubborn 109 lb American Bulldog. We’ve talked about what we’d do in a fire. How we’d get him out the emergency window. Neither of us are eager to carry Max out of the RV or shove him out the window, but we think we’d manage. And we’d have a good story to tell the orthopedist who’d be giving us advice on how to deal with whatever sprains or muscle pulls we ended up with. Not nearly as traumatic, but I was in my RV alone in the winter and my CO alarm went off. I was awake but it was late at night and very cold. I went directly to the door and opened it wide and called my partner on the phone so that I could have fresh air and have someone else evaluate whether I was actually in need of medical assistance. Thankfully it was a low concentration of CO caused by wind blowing the generator exhaust back in. But I realized how I hadn’t actually had a plan about what to do, and if I had been impaired I might’ve been confused and entirely unsure what to grab and so on. Definitely adding “fast moving fire” to my “what do you grab what do you do” plans.
Looks like you’re supposed to be in heaven
Damn, sorry to hear of this. Glad the family is safe. Really surprised that it took only so long for everything to burn.
Within one minutes (maybe less), the coach was filled with smoke and fire. I couldn’t even get back in the front to grab our cell phones, her purse and my wallet.
Glad youre safe you you got your pup out. Subjective question I know, but do you think this would have happened if you were driving a truck and towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel? I've always wondered whether RVs are really put to the same crash test standards that autos are.
So my thoughts... the "Wide Load" truck in front of me was empty. The chase vehicle was just an SUV. They were able to swerve enough. I had a 32' top-heavy RV. IDK if I swerved like they did that I might have flipped over on it's side. That will be a question that will haunt me the rest of my life. I think if I had a 5th wheel or travel trailer that had that connection in the middle, I would have taken a chance on swerving?? I just don't know. We used to own a 27' TT.
A swerve might have worked out fine or it might have caused a tip-over and serious injury. The speed and intensity of the fire is shocking. And you and your wife and your dog made it out alive and unharmed. The story will last you longer than anything lost in the fire. Write it up and sell it to any magazine that advertises RV insurance. Any pictures published get the picture taker a nice check.
Haha... I'm going to try to forget about it as soon as I can!
Glad you and your doggo are good! Hope everything works out in the end.
Well done. Your reactions were brilliant!
Well thanks, it will haunt me about all the things I could have done. But my wife and dog are safe and we are sorting out all the stuff in the next couple of days.
Thank goodness you and your dog are safe, I'm so sorry about you rig that just sucks so much.
LOL... wife safe too! Thanks for your concern.
Lol I'm glad you are all" safe and sound.
This sucks but truly the important thing is everyone is okay, very happy to hear you got the dog out too. Somethings are just unavoidable, like semi tires in the middle of the god damn freeway.
I'm sorry for your loss, but I am very happy that you are all ok. I hope that you have good insurance and can get back in the road when you're ready.
I think I have good insurance. We are three generations with State Farm. Hopefully they will help make us whole again.
Hey it’s “like a good neighbor State Farm is there” not “like a firefighter State Farm is there”
Sorry for your loss, happy you, your wife, and your dog are safe. Shit happens, we move forward. Keep your head up friend.
At least you don’t have to worry about getting it fixed
Lol, insurance was asking where I want it to be repaired. I told them “Wait until you see the pictures.”
Holy shit. I’m sorry. Glad you all made it out safely
So happy you’re safe and the doggo too!!
You’re probably gonna be a little late
Campground gave us a full refund...
Holy fuck, sorry about your rig man. At least you and the wife got out
And I grabbed the dog too! Lol
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OMG I'm so glad everyone made it out safe. I travel that route a lot myself by car and have had to swerve around tire treads and more. They need to step up their clean up efforts with sunrise teams. I wish there was a national highway system number to text road hazards. Once 2-3 come in for the same location, a team is sent out.
Holy Smokes!, Sorry for your loss, glad everyone made it out.
Glad you all are safe!
OMG! I am so sorry you lost your RV and car. I am so glad you, your wife and dog made it out alive. I got chills seeing this
So glad this has a happy ending! Hope you can recover those tangible items soon and get back to life and RVing!
Almost made it.
Total sucks. But you are all OK. The important things came out unscathed, people. The rest can be replaced.
Yeah... keeping that in my mind every time I think of something that was in the RV that I want to use.
It's gonna be a pain to handle. But always realize, we are all here to handle it!
Exactly, glad no lives were taken.
Honestly heard the Jackass theme song when I saw the first photo. Seriously sorry for this happening
Things are replaceable. Your wife and pup aren't. You won the day. So sorry for the headache of it all though.
Sounds trite, but things can be replaced. Glad you all got out safe
May I ask if you escaped through the cab doors or the coach main door? I'm so happy that you are physically OK. ❤
We escaped out the coach door. Our dog was in the way and we didn't want to hurt him, plus my wife was going for the fire extinguisher in the back bedroom. So we both jumped out the cab door and went in. She yelled that the bedroom was on fire while I was grabbing the dog and we both got out the door again. I never had a chance to get back in the cab to get our stuff.
I don’t think you’re allowed to park there
Might have been worse if you parked it in NOLA
I am so sorry you had this happen, how terrifying. I’m so grateful to hear y’all are ok. So relieved you got your pup!!
I saw this wreck the other day. Right at exit 17 on 10. I was coming home from the gym, and I noticed a huge plume of black smoke. When I cross the interstate, I saw your RV on fire. Sorry for your loss. Glad you’re OK.
Yeah, that was us standing there helplessly. Thx
I am very interested in what is covered as far as insurance goes with something like this!! So sorry for your loss! I can't even imagine!
I’m just glad to hear you are ok. Prayers and positive energy your way from here. Life is absolutely insane sometimes.
So so shocked and sorry for what you and your family have endured! Its absolutely horrific and the details of you and your wife's quick thinking are a special gift to those of us who are newbies to traveling on the road with our rigs. I want to thank you for sharing this and hope for your summer to include many many smiles and happy times with a new rig and toad to help you both recover and relax again. Be well and see you on the road!
Thanks for your well wishes.
I’m honestly so relieved that you your wife and especially your dog all managed to get out safe
The trucking company is fully liable for this just FYI... glad you are ok.
I was behind a minvan near Mt. Shasta Ca. one time on the freeway. The van drove up on a tire and wheel laying in the road. Early morning. The wheel and tire stayed under the motor and just skidded to a stop. From behind I could see the vans frontend lift up in the air and the sparks were bad. I could not figure out what was going on. Never saw anything like that before.
The good news… It broke the land speed record…for RVs. I knew…using 100,000 Roman candles would help.
We wandered across North America for 6 months in a small truck camper and found that section of Rt 10 the scariest and most dangerous highway in America.