If you know of Youtuber Andrew Steele

[Brett63]

Unfortunately Andrew and his GF just lost everything they had. I do not support Go Fund me and I am not supporting giving money to it. This is more about the sadness. They made it out with their two dogs and that was it. Andrew actually was left with two right shoes and his GF didn't get anything. Very sad as he just purchased this rig about a month ago.

Fundraiser by Bradley Twait : RVing With Andrew Steele (gofundme.com)

[tomevansfl]

I live in Orlando and recognized them in the Newell on I-4 in Orlando when they were passing through to the Tampa RV Super Show in January. 
 

Wow! I can’t imagine what they’ve been through in all of this.

The Go Fund Me site says they canceled their insurance on their home yesterday. Did they have insurance on the Newell?

[Dr4Film]

OMG!

What a tragedy.

Any idea what may have caused the fire in this Newell motorcoach?

Based on the Go Fund Me description they barely had enough time to get their dogs and leave. Plus, it appears to have been near the front versus the rear engine area. I have no idea what would be up front to have caused such a devastating fire.

Sure brings Jim Bounds presentation on Fire Supression and fire extinguishers into perspective that some of us listened to recently at the Monacoers Gathering.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Dr4Film

[tomevansfl]

I believe the generator is in front on that year of Newell. 

[JDCrow]

I’m not downplaying anything at all, it’s a tragedy for sure.

I’m just curious, they cancelled the insurance their stick built home? No insurance on the coach? There is a video on his channel that says he just bought a Beaver coach. 
 

Again, not trying to throw shade, just trying to get the big picture 

[Brett63]

1 hour ago, tomevansfl said:

I live in Orlando and recognized them in the Newell on I-4 in Orlando when they were passing through to the Tampa RV Super Show in January. 
 

Wow! I can’t imagine what they’ve been through in all of this.

The Go Fund Me site says they canceled their insurance on their home yesterday. Did they have insurance on the Newell?

Yes, they had just sold their home in AZ and had just gone out and loaded up all of their stuff into the RV and was headed to FL where they were relocating to.  The coach was insured, but not sure about any contents.

24 minutes ago, JDCrow said:

I’m not downplaying anything at all, it’s a tragedy for sure.

I’m just curious, they cancelled the insurance their stick built home? No insurance on the coach? There is a video on his channel that says he just bought a Beaver coach. 
 

Again, not trying to throw shade, just trying to get the big picture 

They had just sold their home in AZ so they had no reason to have homeowners ins. From what I understand they coach was insured, but they are not fulltime and didn't have fulltimers ins. They were headed to FL where they were buying a new home and relocating. So it really caught them between homes from what I can determine. He did just buy another coach, I don't remember what it was. It is for sale, or was purchased from Andrew but a guy in KY that sells coaches. I don't know if he bought it or is advertising and consigning it through his dealership.

As for fire in front, I suspect.....just speculation, they were running the genset while driving and having the AC's on. Pretty sure that Newell has the gen in the front. I suspect either fuel related or electrical related in the generator area.

[JDCrow]

23 minutes ago, Brett63 said:

Yes, they had just sold their home in AZ and had just gone out and loaded up all of their stuff into the RV and was headed to FL where they were relocating to.  The coach was insured, but not sure about any contents.

They had just sold their home in AZ so they had no reason to have homeowners ins. From what I understand they coach was insured, but they are not fulltime and didn't have fulltimers ins. They were headed to FL where they were buying a new home and relocating. So it really caught them between homes from what I can determine. He did just buy another coach, I don't remember what it was. It is for sale, or was purchased from Andrew but a guy in KY that sells coaches. I don't know if he bought it or is advertising and consigning it through his dealership.

As for fire in front, I suspect.....just speculation, they were running the genset while driving and having the AC's on. Pretty sure that Newell has the gen in the front. I suspect either fuel related or electrical related in the generator area.

Ok kinda makes sense. It didn’t because the go fund me has a $100,000 goal, which seemed high.

[WayneC]

Unfortunate set of events, thankfully every one got out. Property and personal items are replaceable. Insurance companies another problem, in another post I mentioned that my tenant burnt my shop, December 20th and still no word from them in regards to replacement or payout. 

Would someone be able to share the key points and recommendations from the presentation at the gathering in regards to fire extinguisher/fire suppression systems and any new technology available. This discussion of Andrew's loss is a time for us to use weaknesses as strengths. 

I believe I speak for who could not attend, wish we were there for the gathering but of course with the way the world is now it is very difficult.

Thank you

Wayne 

1999 Signature ceaser 

[Dr4Film]

Jim Bounds was the seminar presenter who owns Fire Fight Products.

Many different products available.

Fire Fight Products

My 2002 Windsor has had an AFFF engine fire suppression system installed since May 2010. Glad that I have never used it so far. Plus, a small Halon unit near the Inverter and one near the Aqua-Hot.

I plan to have Jim build me a new two head AFFF engine system for our 2006 Dynasty that we are picking up on Monday. Also, one for the generator compartment and I will use the small portable ones I already have for the Inverter and Aqua-Hot.

[WayneC]

Thank you Richard 

Wayne 

1999 Signature ceaser 

[Brett63]

9 hours ago, JDCrow said:

Ok kinda makes sense. It didn’t because the go fund me has a $100,000 goal, which seemed high.

I have nothing to do with the GFM portion. I am just passing the story and that is the only place I could find any info. Andrew has since posted on his Twitter act.

[JDCrow]

2 hours ago, Brett63 said:

I have nothing to do with the GFM portion. I am just passing the story and that is the only place I could find any info. Andrew has since posted on his Twitter act.

Yeah, I understood that. Thanks for posting. I don’t do Facebook or Twitter. Only Instagram, LOL. I’d be mad 24/7 if I had Facebook or Twitter. 
 

Another note on fires, we picked up a toy hauler while down south to use as a job trailer. The dealership just took in a used trailer that had the Norcold, that wasn’t fixed from recalls. Guess what caught fire and burnt and became a total loss the first night they took possession 

Edited February 27, 2022 by JDCrow

[Mike H]

I have the FireFight Systems in both the generator and engine bays and plan on installing two more smaller units in the bays with the inverter and Aqua-Hot.  The SS straps they provide now for mounting them leave a little room for improvement.  When mounting the one vertical in the generator compartment I needed to provide a support for it so it wouldn't vibrate down out of the mounting strap.  A simple right angle Simpson clip would suffice.  I happened to have access to a small fire extinguisher mount that I was able to later adapt to my application.  The engine compartment has two spray heads, one near the turbo charger and the other over the engine, as show in the photos.  They're not cheap but worth it to protect our lives and investment.  I was fortunate in that the Tyron Bands we already installed in our coach when we purchased it.  I worked 35 years in manned space flight and safety was beat into us, on a daily basis, until it became a way of life.  We were required to present a safety message prior to starting ANY sort of meeting or design review. There are no short cuts!  Be safe everyone and stay Healthy.

 

[WayneC]

Fantastic pictures Mike 

I am going to reach out to a few suppliers in Canada to see what they have to offer, if not will have to do some cross border shopping, the usual.

Thanks again 

Wayne 

1999 Signature ceaser 

[Mike H]

20 minutes ago, wayne.cerven@gmail.com said:

Fantastic pictures Mike 

I am going to reach out to a few suppliers in Canada to see what they have to offer, if not will have to do some cross border shopping, the usual.

Thanks again 

Wayne 

1999 Signature ceaser 

One thing you need to really check into on these systems is how they are put together and what type of hoses they use and what type of media they are using.  During Jim's presentation at the Gathering he mentioned that he strictly uses SS bellowed hoses because any of the other types that are pre-charged will eventually bleed off pressure over time and you might not know it.  The media he uses is like a soap based solution that can be easily cleaned up afterwards and is mixed with Dionized water so it can be used on an electrical fire (think near your inverter) as well as other types.  His systems, other than the small hand held units have gages so you can check on their condition.  Those pre-charged 'ropes' that you are now seeing advertised provide no way of knowing whether or not they are still functional over time.  You can check his web site at: www.fireproducts.com .

[JDCrow]

13 minutes ago, Mike H said:

One thing you need to really check into on these systems is how they are put together and what type of hoses they use and what type of media they are using.  During Jim's presentation at the Gathering he mentioned that he strictly uses SS bellowed hoses because any of the other types that are pre-charged will eventually bleed off pressure over time and you might not know it.  The media he uses is like a soap based solution that can be easily cleaned up afterwards and is mixed with Dionized water so it can be used on an electrical fire (think near your inverter) as well as other types.  His systems, other than the small hand held units have gages so you can check on their condition.  Those pre-charged 'ropes' that you are now seeing advertised provide no way of knowing whether or not they are still functional over time.  You can check his web site at: www.fireproducts.com .

Great post and pics. One question how do the sensors work? Heat or smoke? Just curious as the engine turbo gets pretty hot. I’m kinda bummed as I would have like to have seen that class on fire suppression. Anyone record any of the classes? 

[Dr4Film]

The discharge sprinkler head works on heat and is set at 286F to release the AFFF foam. No one recorded any of the seminars. You would have had to be there to absorb all of the valuable information.

Jim Bounds recommends the twin head engine suppression systems for the larger engines to place one head over the fuel delivery area of the engine and the second one be placed over the side radiator where the hydraulic fan hoses are located and the coolant both of which have flash points if they are leaking.

He does NOT recommend placing any head over the turbo area as the temp can get too high possibly allowing premature release of the AFFF foam.

[JDCrow]

14 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

The discharge sprinkler head works on heat and is set at 286F to release the AFFF foam. No one recorded any of the seminars. You would have had to be there to absorb all of the valuable information.

Jim Bounds recommends the twin head engine suppression systems for the larger engines to place one head over the fuel delivery area of the engine and the second one be placed over the side radiator where the hydraulic fan hoses are located and the coolant both of which have flash points if they are leaking.

He does NOT recommend placing any head over the turbo area as the temp can get too high possibly allowing premature release of the AFFF foam.

Gotcha. I can see why the recommend areas. While I have not ever recorded the temps in the engine area, being open on the bottom surely keeps it down. With turbos reaching 1000+ degrees, the biggest threat as you mention is hydraulic, power steering or other petroleum fluids. I’ve had hydraulic hoses crack and spew fluid on the exhaust and catch fire, on my excavator,  more than once. The hoses are under constant pressure stress and age out. 
 

As far as being there, hands on is good for some, I’m easily distracted by mundane things around me and if the presenter is slow, or there are a lot of “questions” from ones, I shut off completely. Videos allow me to watch, when I’m most alert (5-7 am) pause, rewind etc. Book can better as well to follow along. Live seminars just can get bogged down with material that I already have a good grasp on, but others are just learning. It’s why our school system sucks, the same for everyone. Way off topic. The Go Fund me is up to $40k of the $100k goal 

Edited February 27, 2022 by JDCrow
Spelling

[JDCrow]

Watching this right now. 
 

 

 

[Dr4Film]

Any explanation going around on the Internet as to the cause of this tragic fire?

Luckily, they had a mid-entry door area to escape through. With the fire located where it supposedly had started, if they had a front entry door, they most likely would have had to use an emergency escape window which as many of us know isn't the easiest to get out of especially with dogs.

The owners seem to say that it may have started in the dash area. Lots of electrical wiring stuffed into that area. How would anyone protect that area from destroying the coach completely?

There are fire suppression systems for the engine, generator, Inverter and Aqua-Hot that Jim Bounds has talked about at our Monacoers Gatherings but what about the dash area?