Sad, sad day

[rmpray]

Oh my! Been through the fire...no fun at all. THankful no one was hurt (well atleast not physically as certainly there is a lot of anguish). I lost my SOB (pre airstream) years back and still upset about it...but somewhere there is another airstream out there with your name on it.

Best of luck and look forward to seeing you folks in your next airstream.

rob n terry

[myboyburt]

Originally Posted by peegreen

Don't even know where to post this thread. Came home a few hours ago from a wonderful trip to Cape Cod - first trip without the kids in over ten years as they're both in camp. Rushed home today for a concert before we pick Dakota up from band camp tomorrow at Univ Southern Maine. He called while we were away and asked if we would come on Friday night. Pulled in front of the house while we went inside to check the mail etc. A neighbor came over and said out trailer was smoking. I rushed out, fumbled to find the keys, opened the door and the trailer was full of smoke. I opened the door behind the stove (ZipDee storage area) and the flames were roaring. I discharged four fire extinguishers - no help. I got the garden hose and sprayed water until the fire dept. came. They broke the windows and dowsed the flames. It looks like a fire bomb went off inside. Everything is melted. The heat was very intense - the outside skin behind the stove is all deformed, there's no kitchen faucet, it also melted. The FD concluded a wire coming up from the furnace or behind the stove was rubbing under a panel until the insulation was cut. In that storage area was a hose with a gas valve to connect a portable catalytic heater. There was no end cap on the hose. It looks like the valve was just slightly open and a spark from the wire ignited the propane. I guess we were lucky to have been in front of the house and not on the interstate and no one was hurt. I am very sad. Anyone have a trailer for sale?

PeeGreen, this is terrible. I can't believe this has happened to your beautiful, beloved Airstream. Leon and I are very glad no one was hurt and hope that you find a replacement soon. We will keep our eyes open for rigs for sale for you.

[Pam]

I am practically in tears as I am reading this. I am so very sorry. What a horrible thing.

Timing in life is everything....I just sent email to the Unit last night about Charlies trailer being for sale and it's just down the road from you. In a way this might be the perfect match for you....What do you think?

I will email the ad to you, but you might want to give Muriel a call.

[clancy_boy]

A very sad loss - enjoy the time with your family, there will be time to recover from this later. Be safe and we are all happy to hear there were no injuries.


Mike and Tina

[Elaine L]

Gee..so sorry to hear about your Airstream Glad you are all okay.

[wheel interested]

Thank goodness no one was in the Airstream. So sorry for your loss but glad all of you are OK. The rest will be sorted out, embrace the future. It will be even brighter than the past.

[centennialman]

My sympathies on the loss of your beloved Airstream. They do become like children to us. Let's be thankful that You are safe and not hurt physically.

Do You need anything? If I could conjur up a new trailer magically.....it would be in your drive right now.

Steve

[summerkid]

rgesch, thanks for putting our trailer travails in perspective.
and i hope that peegreen will eventually find humor in this trial the same way you did!

[eikel1we]

We are so glad you arrived safely at home before this all happened. Truly tragic possibilities are endless.

On May 18 we lost our really nice, vintage 1973 Cadillac Sedan DeVille to fire. It was my parents car and we've had it in storage for most of the last 18 yrs. We've had the A/S 5 yrs now and not to long ago the thought occured to us how much fun it would be to tow Cupcake with it on occasion. The fire, hot enough to melt glass into puddles, door handles & side mirrors, also took other cars & property stored, but no one injured. I feel your pain and sadness.

Try to keep in mind that happy possibilities can be endless also.
Good luck with your search, happy trail will be yours again.

sue & ike

[maccamper]

So very sorry for your loss. So glad no one was hurt (realizing that it must seem like a friend was indeed hurt.)

maccamper

[tin sista]

Sorry you are experiencing this loss. What a shock! Best wishes to you and your family.

[SLVRSRFR]

Hope everything works out for you. The good news is no one was hurt. It could have been worse. You could have been sleeping at a campground in the trailer. I cant even imagine dealing with a tragedy like that. Im sending some Karma your way. Best of luck to your trailer recovery!

[enduroryda]

Man guys, that is a major bummer. So sorry to hear of your loss.
At least you guys are all safe. Remember the good times had..I'm sure there will be many more memories to be made down the road ...just getting through this time will be tough..be strong....something silver will come along.

[bugsbunny]

So sorry to hear about your trailer. We are so glad that none of you were hurt. It is the memories that matter!

Kathy and Tex

[peegreen]

Just got back from Gorham Maine for the concert. Drove up with neighbors (best friends who have an SOB that we also camp with) and their response was, "I don't know what we would do, get another one or maybe not - doesn't mean that much to me." They just don't understand. Going down the road you don't hear them saying, "Hey, it's a Starlite." Thanks to all the replies from the Forums folks and NEU members for understanding how miserable a day it has been. Lisa's already on the path and building momentum looking for a replacement. I'm still in shock and asking her to find out about refunds on the reservations for the remaining summer get aways. The fact that I can smell the ruins from the window (the whole neighborhhod for that matter) isn't helping.

[thecatsandi]

OMG! So sorry. Fire is my biggest fear. In anything. I worry aqbout my wring even in my "new" trailer.

[peegreen]

Originally Posted by yukionna

Do you think it can be repaired? Would insurance cover it?

I had to go back and read your post again. You crack me up and that's why we love you guys so much. You and Brian would take one look and say weekend project, maybe two if we have to order parts.

[moosetags]

Bad stuff sometimes happens to good people. Be glad no one was injured. I am very sorry for your loss.

[peegreen]

You know the whole debate, leave fridge on, turn it off, turn it off when fueling - not that this was the cause, but a propane leak and the electrical short certainly resulted in the destruction. I'm re evaluating gas on, gas off while traveling.

[Caryl]

I REALLY feel your pain. We were watching the news on TV when our Airstream went up in smoke and flames. The newscaster announced "breaking news" about a major fire off Rt 55 in Chicago that had engulfed an RV dealership. It was the AS dealer where our unit was in for warranty service. We watched the whole dealership and our Basecamp burn up on TV. It is unbelievable how much stuff there is in those trailers that fuel a fire. All we have left is an ingot of aluminum about 6 inches long.

My sadest moment was realizing that I had lost a thermos I had for 30 years. Yes, a silly old, easily replaceable thermos had me in tears. The Basecamp was so new, I wasn't attached emotionally like you are to yours.

Much luck with insurance. Our claim involved our homeowners policy for the stuff inside as well as the trailer comprehensive policy. We dealt with two different offices at State Farm.

My heart goes out to you. Please keep us posted on the cleanup, insurance, and replacement.

Caryl