A quiet evening turned into a nightmare for one Yuma County family when a motor home engulfed in flames veered off an overpass and crashed into their backyard, causing extensive damage but miraculously no injuries.
The incident left the family’s home with melted containers, a window shattered by the pressure of intense heat, and scorch marks as reminders of how close they came to losing everything.
“I was pretty much processing... like I am going to have to... we are safe, but I am going to have to pretty much rebuild because I am just accepting... this RV is right next to the house, so the fire is going to make its way in,” said one family member.
The crash
Video footage from the scene shows the intensity of the blaze as flames consumed the motorhome just feet from the family’s home.
A quiet evening turned into a nightmare for one Yuma County family when a motor home engulfed in flames veered off an overpass and crashed into their backyard, causing extensive damage but miraculously no injuries.
The incident left the family’s home with melted containers, a window shattered by the pressure of intense heat, and scorch marks as reminders of how close they came to losing everything.
“I was pretty much processing... like I am going to have to... we are safe, but I am going to have to pretty much rebuild because I am just accepting... this RV is right next to the house, so the fire is going to make its way in,” said one family member.
Emergency response
When firefighters arrived, they faced a fully involved vehicle fire dangerously close to the residence.
“When we got here, the motor home was fully involved, and so at that point, well, the motor home is a write-off, but we want to save the house,” said a fire official at the scene. “As you can tell, the house did have some damage, and that is the main thing we focus on—to keep the house safe.”
The driver of the motorhome had fled the scene and was not located until late in the day. Authorities checked local hospitals, believing that someone involved in such an intense fire would likely have sustained burn injuries.
Long-standing concerns
The family told reporters they’ve had concerns about the overpass for years but never imagined something like this could happen.
“Twenty years ago, we wanted to make our concrete wall a little taller, but they didn’t let us,” the homeowner said, referencing previous attempts to add protection to their property.
