Vehicle fires, keep 2 extinguishers!

["Jeff Brickson" <brickson@delanet.com>]

Yes, we once flagged down a horse trailer that was on fire, from our company shuttle van. Our driver got out and used up the extinguisher on it.  The horse inside was just starting to get upset and whinny because of the extinguisher hissing noise, but was ok afterwards.

 

The brakes had caused the fire underneath, which started the TIRE and some wire insulation on fire.  Once the tire got started, it was difficult to put out; it re-ignited a few times, once two entire minutes after it appeared to be out.  When the extinguisher ran out, our van driver stuffed his jacket into the spot from which the flames were coming.  That helped a lot.  He said it was really hot.  (The jacket was ruined by it)

 

The driver and young boy were very grateful.  The boy had started to cry at one  point and so was very relieved when the fire was put out.

 

THat's the SECOND time we've seen the need for TWO extinguishers in a vehicle.  Another time was at a hay auction when someone noticed a truck burning under its engine after being parked for a few minutes and the driver had walked away to the sale office to register his load.  We grabbed our own vehicle's extinguisher, which we'd never used, had only a little spurt left in it!  Other people had to help.  bb

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Cliff Fenneman [mailto:cfly@concentric.net]
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 3:00 PM
To: Ridecamp
Subject: RC: [Fwd: Trailer fire!]

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Trailer fire!
Date:	Sat, 27 Oct 2001 15:51:33 -0700
From:	Cliff Fenneman <cfly@concentric.net>
To:	Ridecamp <ridecamp@endurance.net>

I had a fire in my trailer! Yikes! As I was trailering my new mule home 
in the dark from a Pat Parelli all mule clinic...a car came along side 
me honking and gesturing frantically...indicating that I should pull 
over immediately. I did. Barely off the freeway somewhere in Riverside, 
I found glowing embers under Chelse (I wondered why she had been moving 
around so much!) I had water bottles available and was able to put the 
fire out without removing her. She was great...just moved aside and let 
me splash water all around her feet. When the fire was extinguished we 
looked for the possible cause...and noticed dangling wires 
underneath...that no doubt the dog had chewed. They were touching the 
ground so I figured they must have been causing sparks that shot up thru 
the floorboards, thru space between the rubber mats and up into the 
shavings. So I crawled under the trailer with my handy duct tape and 
taped them to the axel...thinking all the time that this is ho
w people 
die...under their trailer on the freeway in the dark.
We drove on with no more trouble. I did have brakes and outside lights. 
I have an open stock trailer and had a minimum of cedarrest shavings on 
the floor. No one had been smoking in the trailer and we had spent at 
least 30 minutes standing around the outside of the trailer before 
leaving (pleading with her to get into the darkened trailer)...so the 
fire definitely had to start after we left. My trailer mechanic does not 
think the dangling wires caused the problem...most likely a tossed 
cigarette butt !
Has this ever happened to anyone before? I never heard of such a story.
My mechanic also told me he has seen customers bring their trailers 
in...improperly hooked up. Just last week or so their was a terrible 
accident on the freeway...trailer came un-hitched and both horses had to 
be put down....it was improperly hitched.
Just thought I'd pass this along.
Check and re-check your hitch everytime you leave 
it.
If your animules start moving around...find out why.
Lynda