Faulty gas fridge sparks caravan fire

Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters have determined a caravan fire at Soldiers Point, in Port Stephens, was sparked by a faulty gas fridge.

The older timber-framed caravan was initially attached to a car, parked on a grass verge on Soldiers Point Road, when it ignited around 1:45pm on January 31.

The FRNSW said no-one was inside at the time and no injuries occurred.

VIDEO: Caravan fire at Soldiers Point

The owner, who lived nearby, was alerted to the emergency by a smoke alarm fitted to the caravan. He immediately called Triple Zero (000) to alert fire crews, while also quickly detaching the caravan from the car.

FRNSW firefighters, assisted by NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers, contained and extinguished the fire in less than 45 minutes.

“Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) is an excellent fuel for heating, cooking and powering camping refrigerators, and is safe if used and maintained correctly," FRNSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said in a statement.

"However, if stored or used incorrectly it can become extremely dangerous.

"Firefighters recommend that LPG equipment is inspected regularly, as fires are too often caused by a faulty or loose connection.

"It is pleasing to see a working smoke alarm was present inside this caravan.

"Fire crews remind all caravan owners that NSW legislation requires them to have at least one smoke alarm where the bed is inside the van, and one in the annex if people are sleeping there."

VIDEO: Fire safety in your caravan

Earlier in January, the FRNSW expressed concern at the level of complacency around working smoke alarms, after firefighters conducted a series of caravan safety inspections during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Local FRNSW crews visited parks in Tamworth’s riverside camping area, inspecting caravan and campervan smoke alarms and providing fire safety advice to those attending the popular festival.

The firefighters visited more than 160 caravans and recreational vehicles, replacing 75 smoke alarms that were not working.

They also replaced 20 smoke alarm batteries, that were either not working or missing from alarms.

“Almost half the caravans we visited did not have a working smoke alarm,” FRNSW Zone Commander, Tom Cooperexplained. "That’s disturbing, a working smoke alarm may be the only thing that saves the lives of you and your loved ones in the event of a fire.”

“In a few cases where the batteries were missing, the campers told our firefighters they’d removed them because cooking would often set off the alarms,” Superintendent Cooper said.

“The beeping might be annoying, but if your alarm’s not working, it can’t save you.

“Caravanners could consider purchasing photo-electric smoke alarms which aren’t as sensitive to cooking and require smoke to break a beam to activate.

“Other smoke alarms we encountered were well past their 10-year shelf-life and had to be replaced.

Legislation requires a working smoke alarm to be fitted to every caravan and another placed in any annex used as a sleeping area.

The fire crews also inspected gas cooking facilities and LPG cylinders on board the vans.

The fittings and hoses all seemed to be in good order.

“We urge everyone to include smoke alarm checks when preparing their caravans and RV’s," Supt Cooper said.