TowNews Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 FRAZIER PARK, CA (Monday, July 6, 2020 at 1:36 p.m.)—[updated] A pickup truck with camper that was being towed by Panorama Towing caught fire just after 1 p.m. while eastbound on Frazier Mountain Park Road, just east of Cuddy Canyon Road. Cuddy Valley resident Rob Eubank was there when the fire erupted, and made a video of Kern County Fire Department engines 56 and 357 extinguishing the blaze in about 10 minutes, including a small grass fire that started. Eubank said there were some small explosions in the camper, but the gas tank did not exolode. There were some melted lights on the tow truck and roadside foliage sparks, but those were extinguished quickly and that appeared to be the limit of the damage, Eubank said. The tow truck, he reported, had been asked by the sheriff’s office to take the camper for impound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rreschran Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 From long ago, I recall a fire on a towed construction truck where an inside dually tire went flat during a long distance tow. The road's friction and weighted load destroyed the tire to the point where it was speculated the told tire's wire sidewalls threw sparks up and under the truck's wooden bed. But, look at that camper? That thing is huge. R. Quote Randall C. Resch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRUMPS The Towman Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Certainly appears as though it started at the rear of the rig. Hung up brake or rear end issue maybe?? Dont see too many of those slide-in camper units around here anymore. I always thought they were cool. Glad to hear no one was hurt. Quote PROFESSIONAL TOWING & RECOVERY IS NOT JUST A JOB.. IT IS A LIFESTYLE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowZone Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 I never could understand why anyone would leave the tow truck hooked to the casualty as it burned to the ground. That fire didn't just get that bad in the time it would have taken to drop it. I carry two fire extinguishers these days as one often isn't enough. It's when you least expect it that something like this occurs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRUMPS The Towman Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 I have only had one go up on me. I managed to dump a wreck off my deck once that got going pretty good a lot faster from the time I noticed it than I expected. I had first tried to knock it down with my extinguisher But it started going like hell again real quick. I quickly angled my truck so I could dump it into the ditch on the side of the road and not have to worry about a flaming car rolling down the road. I tipped the deck just a bit, loosened and free wheeled my winch, then cut my front catch straps with my pocket knife and ran the deck down as it started to roll back off. Thank god my rear tie back chains just played out of the rear slots on my deck as it rolled back. The grass got going pretty good too after it dropped into the ditch which made me start to panic but luckily the F.D. was only a 1/2 mile down the road at the scene where I got the car from and a passerby told them about my plight up the road. After the F.D boys got it put out in short order, The Chief came to the conclusion that the battery was shorted from the wreck and started the fire. The whole ordeal cost me a couple cluster straps, a Fire extinguisher and a whole lot of cleanup. I usually never checked if the battery was cut or disconnected because the F.D was always on top of it. It was overlooked by them on this one. Guess who checks to see if the battery cables are cut or disconnected at every accident since then??... This guy... My bridle and rigging was still hooked to the melted blob so it was just a matter of backing up a few feet, re-engaging my winch and dragging the heap back on the deck and cleaning up all the debris. Quote PROFESSIONAL TOWING & RECOVERY IS NOT JUST A JOB.. IT IS A LIFESTYLE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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