Caravan fire

[Franklin1]

A 17 year old girl has died in a caravan fire in the backyard of a residence in the Sydney region...



The fire is still the subject of an official investigation, however the following information was collected from two separate media reports:

• the fire occurred around 1:00am
  
• NSW was in the grip of unusual cold weather
  
• the girl occasionally stayed overnight in the van
  
• a bar heater was being used on the floor of the van
  
• clothing has fallen onto the heater and ignited
  
• it was believed the girl died of smoke inhalation and not burns, and that she would have had little chance of survival due to the ferocity of the blaze
  
• it was only a small caravan, an aluminium pop-top, which added to the intensity of the fire
  
• the NSW Fire Brigades Superintendent said the tragedy raised an important safety issue - a lack of smoke alarms in caravans - especially with people about to head off on Christmas holidays.
  

I'm sure this forum joins with me in offering sincere condolences to the family for their tragic loss.

The purpose of this post is two-fold:
1. To increase our knowledge and awareness of what a fire can do to a caravan, and
2. To prompt us to consider what fire safety measures we have in our vans to protect occupants.

Thanks,
Al.