RV-Dreams Family Members Ed & Marilyn Lose RV in Fire
Howard said
09:04 PM Jun 19, 2011
Sadly, RV-Dreamers and dear friends Ed & Marilyn Dray lost their RV and most of their belongings in a fire during travel today.
Several folks have contacted us about helping in some way and many have asked us to set up a fund for them.
For those wishing to donate, please use the box below to contribute.*
* - Funds are collected through PayPal and you will be taken to a PayPal page. However you do not need a PayPal account to contribute. Look for "Don't Have A PayPal Account?" and click on the link.
Please feel free to leave your comments and notes for Ed & Marilyn in this thread.
SoonToTravel said
09:24 PM Jun 19, 2011
Don & I are so sorry to read about the loss of your beautiful FW, but we are so happy & thankful that you two are OK. Our prayers are with you.
Don & Lois White
Cindy T said
06:37 AM Jun 20, 2011
I'm so sorry to hear this terrible news. Thank God Ed & Marilyn survived.
Cindy T
Jack Mayer said
07:53 AM Jun 20, 2011
Howard, do you know what happened? It does bring up the fire safety topic, and the related refrigerator issues. Take a look on my website to see what we did (look at Fire Supression). Which is something for everyone to consider....
Bill and Linda said
08:14 AM Jun 20, 2011
Jack Mayer wrote:
Howard, do you know what happened? It does bring up the fire safety topic, and the related refrigerator issues. Take a look on my website to see what we did (look at Fire Supression). Which is something for everyone to consider....
Jack:
I understood it was a brake fire.So I am supposing it either was a full lockup or just a dragging brake which may have ignited the fire.
I hope when Howard gets the facts he will post all of them, including the type of brakes – disc or drum, etc.It might give others things to look for.I am real careful about checking my wheel temps when I travel.But even that won’t always catch a “dragging shoe.”
This is such a tragedy and we are so very sorry.
Bill
ahoweth said
08:20 AM Jun 20, 2011
Things can be replaced, lives cannot. Thank God they are safe!
Ckerr said
08:33 AM Jun 20, 2011
Thankfully everyone is safe. As others have said, things can be replaced but it's still stressful.
Just a reminder to all the full-timers. Check your insurance policy to make sure you have adequate contents coverage. When we first changed our rv policy to a fulltime policy the base policy only included $5000 for contents. Take our 2 computers and the tv's and we were over that and hadn't covered anything else. We initially increased it to $15,000 but will continue to re-evaluate as we transition to officially fulltiming.
Froggi said
09:51 AM Jun 20, 2011
Done...also featured them in our latest blog along with some others hitting tough times. As the blog said, It's Not All About Us.
Howard said
12:38 PM Jun 20, 2011
Of course Ed was pretty distraught when he called, and I'm not sure I'll get the facts 100% correct 'cause I was pretty shaken too. But here goes.
Ed said he started noticing smoke in his mirrors and shortly thereafter a tire blew. Being a pilot and an experienced RVer, he didn't panic and followed proper procedures to get off the road. He was thinking it was just a blowout, but saw flames when he went back to inspect.
He grabbed a fire extinguisher, but the small extinguisher that came with the rig wasn't adequate and he couldn't get the fire out. He and a bystander dropped the jacks on the fiver so they could get the truck disconnected and they had just enough time to shut off the propane and get the cylinders out of the compartments.
The rig went up in about a half an hour. Three fire trucks made it to the scene but it was too late.
The fire inspector told them he thinks it was a wheel bearing. Apparently, there was evidence that the tire had been dragging, so I don't think it's clear yet whether it was a wheel bearing, a brake lock-up, or what. But it does appear a wheel locked for whatever reason.
That's about all I know at this point, and that may not be completely accurate.
But one thing Ed told me was to tell everyone to make sure they have adequate fire extinguishers in their rigs AND trucks. We already have five in our RV and vehicles and we're getting another one from "Mac the Fire Guy" today.
mktobob said
01:01 PM Jun 20, 2011
Thanks for the update Howard. I have been following these fine folks since they started their journey and they seem like such nice people. Those that have met Ed and Marilyn all say you couldn't meet nicer folks.
I am so glad they were not injured and that quick thinking saved their truck.
susie/jack said
02:15 PM Jun 20, 2011
Ed and Marilyn,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you both. We are very thankful that both of you are safe. God is a God who comforts and understands. He will carry you through. May the sincerity of others make this difficult time a little easier for you. As part of your RV family we are sending you Great Big hugs and God's Blessings.
Don and Jenny J Manuel
Jbbar said
09:05 PM Jun 20, 2011
Terrible news, I have enjoyed following Ed and Marilyn's adventures off and on since the beginning. You can bet my first stop next time I am in town is the safety shop. I need to get some extra fire extinguisher capacity for my two outfits. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Ed and Marilyn.
RodI said
09:42 PM Jun 20, 2011
This is a terrible outcome for an emergency situation. These folks are the nicest people in the entire world, and I would like to encourage everyone to CHIP IN a few bucks on the RV Dreams fund at the top of this post. You won't miss it much, but it will come at a time when it will mean way more, as these folks have to replace almost everything in their lives!!
Just imagine yourself in a strange town and motel room with only the clothes on your backs. Miles away from your family and friends. The one way we can all get into the act here is with financial support. Believe me, Ed and Marylin would be right there to help one of us!
MCMILLS said
11:43 PM Jun 20, 2011
Sandy and I are so upset about what happened to these wonderful people; we wish we were closer, so we could love on 'em and see to their needs. For now, Howard's Chip-In site is a great idea; I hope many others (they have legions of friends) will contribute to help make these fine folks whole again. When I talked to Ed, he said what I wanted to hear: "We're not coming off the road." Way to go, pal; the best is yet to come! Mike
Readytogo said
08:18 AM Jun 21, 2011
They surely deserve a hug. Thankfully no one was hurt. So glad to hear they are continuing on with their dream of fulltiming.
Howard said
09:15 AM Jun 21, 2011
Spoke with Ed this morning. They are still quite shaken and making lists of everything they can think of that they will need to replace. Many of their items simply can't be replaced.
They are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. But RodI, you are so correct. They would be right there to help any one of us, and we keep reminding them of that.
It sounds like their insurance company is stepping up and they will be working on getting a new "home on wheels" soon. Your kindness will go a long way, and we will be using part of the funds to help outfit the new rig with multiple fire extinguishers.
P.S. If anyone wants to put the donation "widget" on their blog or webpage, send me a private message and I'll send you the code.
jcw said
10:43 AM Jun 21, 2011
I hate being a dofus, but I can't find the 'box below' that contains the link to PayPal. Am I just being stupid or did you forget to put that box on this page somewhere?
GENECOP said
11:41 AM Jun 21, 2011
Box is Gone, it was there earlier....
Howard said
02:11 PM Jun 21, 2011
The "box" is in the very first post to start this thread. I haven't seen it disappear, but it's possible that it went away temporarily.
GENECOP said
02:46 PM Jun 21, 2011
I am on an IPAD, no box showing, on my Dell, the box is there, must be an Apple thing....
jimdee said
07:06 PM Jun 21, 2011
We were so amazed Ed kept a clear head enough to get the propane tanks out in time.
If anyone wants to follow their blog they have pictures of the fire. I'm so glad they're ok. That's so scary.
http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-607759
RVRon said
05:14 AM Jun 22, 2011
Howard wrote:It sounds like their insurance company is stepping up and they will be working on getting a new "home on wheels" soon. Your kindness will go a long way, and we will be using part of the funds to help outfit the new rig with multiple fire extinguishers.
And... the big lesson we ALL need to learn is that one fire extinguisher was NOT enough for Ed to put out the fire. It ran out just as the fire was nearly extinguished. If he'd had another one they would have had damage but not the total loss they suffered. We will be equipping our RV with several more fire extinguishers before our next trip!
Terry and Jo said
06:53 AM Jun 22, 2011
Ron has hit the nail on the head. However, having more isn't enough because PLACEMENT is just as important. In an online discussion with someone, I mentioned that we plan on having 5 or 6 extinguishers; two inside the coach, perhaps one on each side of the coach in the basement, and one on each side of the pickup. (And, likely another one in the Mercury Mariner. So, I guess that would be 7 total.
In addition, remember to get your extinguishers either serviced or replaced on a "regular" basis, depending upon the type of extinguisher.
Ed and Marilyn's latest journal entry indicated that they are heading for Springdale, Arkansas. I happen to know that Wheels RV (a DRV dealer) is located in Springdale, so it might be they are looking at another Mobile Suites. Whatever they get, I hope they are back on the road really soon.
Terry
jagco said
11:33 AM Jun 22, 2011
This is the first I've been on here since the fire. I'm so sorry to hear about it, but happy you two are okay.
foxriverguy said
07:34 PM Jun 22, 2011
Sadly the fire extinguishers supplied by most RV manufacturers are too small and of limited effectiveness. Get high quality extinguishers from Mac the Fire Guy. His foam units are most likely the best on the market, and the right size could have saved Ed & Marilyn a lot of heartache.
janieD said
10:03 AM Jun 23, 2011
I am a little behind here, but we are so glad that they survived. Fire can be so devastating. We attended Mac the fire Guy's seminar at the Escapade last year and it so worth it to do. We replaced all our fire extinguishers with the ones he recommended but we still haven't bought a bigger one for the truck which he also recommended. Showed my DH this post and soon we will have that one too. Our hearts go out to Ed and Marilyn on the loss, especially of the things that can't be replaced.
IWantaCampMore said
03:47 PM Jun 23, 2011
Sorry to hear about your loss of home and what was cherished. Hope your insurance comes soon and you get your new home sooner than expected.
jcw said
04:43 PM Jun 23, 2011
Howard wrote:
The "box" is in the very first post to start this thread. I haven't seen it disappear, but it's possible that it went away temporarily.
I am on a Mac. I think I am blocking Flash with one of the numerous Ad blocking pluggins I run in Safari (the Mac browser). So I fired up Windows XP on my Mac, launched Safari for Windows and went to the URL for this posting. It complained that I was missing the Flash plugin, so I went to Adobe and downloaded/installed it. Reloaded this page and, voila, there was the PayPal do-hicky. See, Macs can do anything. Even run Windows when necessary. 8^)
Jack Mayer said
01:09 PM Jun 24, 2011
In my truck I have: the regular DOT extinguisher. It is pretty big. I have a FireAde 16oz extinguisher in the cab. And in the storage compartment with the DOT extinguisher I have a 1.5 gallon Cold Fire extinguisher.
In the RV: In the bedroom, 2x FireAde 16oz extinguishers, one in each nightstand. In the kitchen, one FireAde 16oz. next to the door, one FireAde 16 oz. In the main storage compartment - ALWAYS UNLOCKED, even when on the road: a 1.5 gallon Cold Fire.
When in camp, we almost always have a 50' hose hooked up as a spare hose.....it is there for utility use, but in a pinch could fight a fire. I also have a Holon extinguisher in the refrigerator compartment. EVERY RV with an RV refrigerator should have this. EVERY one.....
And, I'm just about to order more of this stuff for a friend.....
Linda said
07:44 PM Jul 24, 2011
I thought I would copy from Ed & Marilyn's blog posting today so anyone who doesn't read their blog can see what they said about the Hug Jug.
"I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I had purchased a new blender to replace one lost in the fire. I want to let all of you good folks know that we are using the funds from the “Hug Jug” to purchase much needed items for our new home.
I won’t try to detail everything we have purchased because we needed everything. I’ll just express a very heartfelt “Thank You” to each and every one of you who helped out with the “Hug Jug” on Howard & Linda’s RV-Dreams website.
They sent us four fire extinguishers from that fund also and we feel much safer with two in the truck, two inside the living portion of the RV and two in the basement of the RV. (That includes the two we already had on hand)
Those funds have helped us beyond measure as we replace our household goods.
I am sorry for being so late writing about our gratitude for those funds and what we are doing with them. We have been very busy but I should have written this sooner."
Sadly, RV-Dreamers and dear friends Ed & Marilyn Dray lost their RV and most of their belongings in a fire during travel today.
Several folks have contacted us about helping in some way and many have asked us to set up a fund for them.
For those wishing to donate, please use the box below to contribute.*
* - Funds are collected through PayPal and you will be taken to a PayPal page. However you do not need a PayPal account to contribute. Look for "Don't Have A PayPal Account?" and click on the link.
Please feel free to leave your comments and notes for Ed & Marilyn in this thread.
Don & Lois White
Howard, do you know what happened? It does bring up the fire safety topic, and the related refrigerator issues. Take a look on my website to see what we did (look at Fire Supression). Which is something for everyone to consider....
Jack:
I understood it was a brake fire. So I am supposing it either was a full lockup or just a dragging brake which may have ignited the fire.
I hope when Howard gets the facts he will post all of them, including the type of brakes – disc or drum, etc. It might give others things to look for. I am real careful about checking my wheel temps when I travel. But even that won’t always catch a “dragging shoe.”
This is such a tragedy and we are so very sorry.
Bill
Just a reminder to all the full-timers. Check your insurance policy to make sure you have adequate contents coverage. When we first changed our rv policy to a fulltime policy the base policy only included $5000 for contents. Take our 2 computers and the tv's and we were over that and hadn't covered anything else. We initially increased it to $15,000 but will continue to re-evaluate as we transition to officially fulltiming.
Done...also featured them in our latest blog along with some others hitting tough times. As the blog said, It's Not All About Us.
Of course Ed was pretty distraught when he called, and I'm not sure I'll get the facts 100% correct 'cause I was pretty shaken too. But here goes.
Ed said he started noticing smoke in his mirrors and shortly thereafter a tire blew. Being a pilot and an experienced RVer, he didn't panic and followed proper procedures to get off the road. He was thinking it was just a blowout, but saw flames when he went back to inspect.
He grabbed a fire extinguisher, but the small extinguisher that came with the rig wasn't adequate and he couldn't get the fire out. He and a bystander dropped the jacks on the fiver so they could get the truck disconnected and they had just enough time to shut off the propane and get the cylinders out of the compartments.
The rig went up in about a half an hour. Three fire trucks made it to the scene but it was too late.
The fire inspector told them he thinks it was a wheel bearing. Apparently, there was evidence that the tire had been dragging, so I don't think it's clear yet whether it was a wheel bearing, a brake lock-up, or what. But it does appear a wheel locked for whatever reason.
That's about all I know at this point, and that may not be completely accurate.
But one thing Ed told me was to tell everyone to make sure they have adequate fire extinguishers in their rigs AND trucks. We already have five in our RV and vehicles and we're getting another one from "Mac the Fire Guy" today.
Thanks for the update Howard. I have been following these fine folks since they started their journey and they seem like such nice people. Those that have met Ed and Marilyn all say you couldn't meet nicer folks.
I am so glad they were not injured and that quick thinking saved their truck.
Ed and Marilyn,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you both. We are very thankful that both of you are safe. God is a God who comforts and understands. He will carry you through. May the sincerity of others make this difficult time a little easier for you. As part of your RV family we are sending you Great Big hugs and God's Blessings.
Don and Jenny J Manuel
Just imagine yourself in a strange town and motel room with only the clothes on your backs. Miles away from your family and friends. The one way we can all get into the act here is with financial support. Believe me, Ed and Marylin would be right there to help one of us!
They surely deserve a hug. Thankfully no one was hurt. So glad to hear they are continuing on with their dream of fulltiming.
Spoke with Ed this morning. They are still quite shaken and making lists of everything they can think of that they will need to replace. Many of their items simply can't be replaced.
They are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. But RodI, you are so correct. They would be right there to help any one of us, and we keep reminding them of that.
It sounds like their insurance company is stepping up and they will be working on getting a new "home on wheels" soon. Your kindness will go a long way, and we will be using part of the funds to help outfit the new rig with multiple fire extinguishers.
P.S. If anyone wants to put the donation "widget" on their blog or webpage, send me a private message and I'll send you the code.
The "box" is in the very first post to start this thread. I haven't seen it disappear, but it's possible that it went away temporarily.
If anyone wants to follow their blog they have pictures of the fire. I'm so glad they're ok. That's so scary.
http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-607759
And... the big lesson we ALL need to learn is that one fire extinguisher was NOT enough for Ed to put out the fire. It ran out just as the fire was nearly extinguished. If he'd had another one they would have had damage but not the total loss they suffered. We will be equipping our RV with several more fire extinguishers before our next trip!
Ron has hit the nail on the head. However, having more isn't enough because PLACEMENT is just as important. In an online discussion with someone, I mentioned that we plan on having 5 or 6 extinguishers; two inside the coach, perhaps one on each side of the coach in the basement, and one on each side of the pickup. (And, likely another one in the Mercury Mariner. So, I guess that would be 7 total.
In addition, remember to get your extinguishers either serviced or replaced on a "regular" basis, depending upon the type of extinguisher.
Ed and Marilyn's latest journal entry indicated that they are heading for Springdale, Arkansas. I happen to know that Wheels RV (a DRV dealer) is located in Springdale, so it might be they are looking at another Mobile Suites. Whatever they get, I hope they are back on the road really soon.
Terry
Sorry to hear about your loss of home and what was cherished. Hope your insurance comes soon and you get your new home sooner than expected.
I am on a Mac. I think I am blocking Flash with one of the numerous Ad blocking pluggins I run in Safari (the Mac browser). So I fired up Windows XP on my Mac, launched Safari for Windows and went to the URL for this posting. It complained that I was missing the Flash plugin, so I went to Adobe and downloaded/installed it. Reloaded this page and, voila, there was the PayPal do-hicky. See, Macs can do anything. Even run Windows when necessary. 8^)
In the RV: In the bedroom, 2x FireAde 16oz extinguishers, one in each nightstand. In the kitchen, one FireAde 16oz. next to the door, one FireAde 16 oz. In the main storage compartment - ALWAYS UNLOCKED, even when on the road: a 1.5 gallon Cold Fire.
When in camp, we almost always have a 50' hose hooked up as a spare hose.....it is there for utility use, but in a pinch could fight a fire. I also have a Holon extinguisher in the refrigerator compartment. EVERY RV with an RV refrigerator should have this. EVERY one.....
And, I'm just about to order more of this stuff for a friend.....
I thought I would copy from Ed & Marilyn's blog posting today so anyone who doesn't read their blog can see what they said about the Hug Jug.
"I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that I had purchased a new blender to replace one lost in the fire. I want to let all of you good folks know that we are using the funds from the “Hug Jug” to purchase much needed items for our new home.
I won’t try to detail everything we have purchased because we needed everything. I’ll just express a very heartfelt “Thank You” to each and every one of you who helped out with the “Hug Jug” on Howard & Linda’s RV-Dreams website.
They sent us four fire extinguishers from that fund also and we feel much safer with two in the truck, two inside the living portion of the RV and two in the basement of the RV. (That includes the two we already had on hand)
Those funds have helped us beyond measure as we replace our household goods.
I am sorry for being so late writing about our gratitude for those funds and what we are doing with them. We have been very busy but I should have written this sooner."
Here is a link to their blog home page: http://www.mytripjournal.com/Dray-TheHappyWanderers
-- Edited by Linda on Sunday 24th of July 2011 07:46:25 PM