Jeep Wrangler Burns to the Ground.

That puts a new perspective on gear organization. Put it in park and step out to open a gate and your rig goes up in flames.
 
holy cow.....getting ready for a 4 day camping trip next week and this definitely makes me rethink gear organization and storage...
That was crazy!
 
This happened to our first rig, we saved it. It was an old suburban, the rear axle snapped and caught fire burned through the break lines. I had a car full of babies and my wife. Thankfully it was an old all metal body. Freaking terrifying.
 
Speculation on my part. If you watch his channel and the videos of the area before the fire, he was driving on roads with dry growth in the center of the road. I have a Jeep and the stock skid plates only offer coverage in critical locations, not full coverage. This creates small shelves under the Jeep that can catch and collect debris. Also, hot areas like the exhaust are left exposed. I think it may have been a combination of those conditions that contributed to the fire. Again, just speculation on my part.

There are cases of Jeep JK models catching fire on paved roads, so I doubt we will ever know the true cause.

Like others mentioned, he should be commended for his cool approach to a very emotional and dangerous situation. Clear example of keeping it together. He did a fantastic job containing the fire and was responsible enough to wait it out through the night to ensure the situation didn't escalate.

ben
 
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I saw this the other day, and it’s easy for us to arm chair what should have been done better. But he was cool through the ordeal for sure.
 
armourbl said:
Speculation on my part. If you watch his channel and the videos of the area before the fire, he was driving on roads with dry growth in the center of the road. I have a Jeep and the stock skid plates only offer coverage in critical locations, not full coverage. This creates small shelves under the Jeep that can catch and collect debris. Also, hot areas like the exhaust are left exposed. I think it may have been a combination of those conditions that contributed to the fire. Again, just speculation on my part.

There are cases of Jeep JK models catching fire on paved roads, so I doubt we will ever know the true cause.

Like others mentioned, he should be commended for his cool approach to a very emotional and dangerous situation. Clear example of keeping it together. He did a fantastic job containing the fire and was responsible enough to wait it out through the night to ensure the situation didn't escalate.

ben
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Your speculation is pretty much what I was thinking too, after seeing his latest video about it (been following his channel for a while). I wasn't necessarily thinking anything had collected, but that there was longer, dry grass under him when he stopped. I've seen similar videos in the past where this exact thing happened. The one that immediately comes to mind was on an episode of Cops when they chased someone through a field and a squad car got stuck (or blocked), and within a minute or so of stopping a fire started. (found it, excuse the poor video quality, all I could quickly find):

Not that I blame him, even having seen it I doubt I would have thought much about it in his shoes.

I agree with your comment on his preparedness. He's always been geared more towards survival and bugging out, which was perfect for him in this scenario. As I recall he always keeps a stocked INCH bag readily accessible, though he was lucky enough to grab even more than just that.

Definitely some things to think about for those of us who have more permanently mounted set-ups, with fridges, drawers, on board water, etc. In this type of scenario, trying to dig through all of your different storage options to grab survival essentials just isn't feasible.

As I move towards more fixed storage (planning to add drawers and already have stuff spread out pretty well in the Jeep), this is something I really need to think about. An easily grabbed emergency bag is probably in order.
 
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This also a good point to recognize that the small fire extinguishers many of us carry are really inadequate for suppressing a vehicle fire. All it will really do is buy time. I've heard others refer to these smaller ones as being only good for use on a person who is on fire, and not to bother even using it otherwise. His may have bought him a little time, but it has me thinking about looking for a larger extinguisher.
 
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armourbl said:
I haven't been able to research this yet, but wondering if an extinguisher like this would be better or not. They are a clean agent unit, and I believe they work by displacing oxygen.

https://www.h3rperformance.com/halguard_products.htm

ben
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I believe people have been using halon systems in racing vehicle applications for some time. A big benefit is they don't leave the mess and or destroy parts no otherwise impacted by the fire. Important for high cost off highway vehicles that aren't traditionally insured.

Definitely worth looking into.. Glad you brought it up!
 
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I carry three 2 lb'ers and now I think I need a 5lb or two. All new fuel infected rigs have gas at very high pressures. It is important to fuse any added electrical components.
 
Ok, so halon extinguishers are banned in europe, because they are not only killing the fire... So take care and a deep breath before engaging this one ... You don't want this in your lungs!
When a fire happens the thing that counts is saving lifes not vehicles!
I recommend training with extinguishers... I took part in some first response fire trainings and it really helps.
 
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NorCalCrisp said:
This is why we prepare. You can replace your stuff but not your life. Always keep emergency supplies with you when traveling to remote areas.

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Great story and very good learning resource! Sorry about the loss of your vehicle
 
MazeVX said:
Ok, so halon extinguishers are banned in europe, because they are not only killing the fire... So take care and a deep breath before engaging this one ... You don't want this in your lungs!
When a fire happens the thing that counts is saving lifes not vehicles!
I recommend training with extinguishers... I took part in some first response fire trainings and it really helps.
Click to expand...

Yes, Halon is dangerous stuff. You don't want to be in a confined space and use an extinguisher with Halon agent. It will completely displace the oxygen in the space, and the chemical is bad for you. It can kill you.

That being said, if I was going to purchase one of these units, I'd also be carrying a normal extinguisher as well to use mainly for on a person or within a confined space (inside a vehicle) occupied by people.

In the video, I believe a Halon extinguisher would have been safe to use. Hard to say if it would have made any difference or not in saving the vehicle. While saving the vehicle wouldn't necessarily be the priority, containing the fire certainly would be.

ben
 
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So does anyone know what caused the fire? I agree w Ben above mentioning all the dry sagebrush etc. he’d been driving a long time.
 
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