Tent Fires! Seen any?

[necchi]

I've seen 2 and heard plenty of stories.
1st one was a late fall camp where folks use stoves/heaters. 10x12 wall tent and the guy was using a "Sunburst" heater mounted on a 20# propane tank. It was evening, they had started the heater and went on a visiting walk-about. It was full on dark and I stepped into my tent to grab my capote and came out to see a large flame dancing around inside their tent.
Shouting "Fire",, I ran over there not knowing if anyone was in there or not!
Others came on the run!
First on the scene I flipped open the door and there sat that Sunburst with 3 foot flames blasting out of the top of the tank where the heater screws into it,, it wasn't mounted properly!! Nobody in there, but they had a 4 poster bed and the flames where starting the blankets on fire,, I grabbed the blankets and threw them out,, within seconds another guy was there and had a welding glove ( he's a welder by trade and uses the glove at his fire as a pot holder) grabbed the tank, drug it out and shut the valve. Fires out!
A heart pounding experience, Man!! I saw that tank and thought it was going to explode!! The folks where very lucky, just the blankets were lost.

2nd, was around noon on a windy day. The Lady of the camp had just finished lunch and walked away from a smoldering fire. She had made the fire very close to the tent and we don't know if an ember blew up from the fire or if the door had flapped around into the fire,, but it caught the corner of her door and it was smoldering away away. The neighbor that saw it hit the tent with a fire extinguisher they carry, lost about 2sq feet of that door. We still rib her that it's not the proper way to make "char cloth".

Up here a lot of wood stoves get used, and there's plenty of tents out there that have been patched from holes left by over built fires and embers coming out of the smoke pipes.

There are stories of total loss, several camps have 55gal drums with water scattered about camp, and some require a bucket of water at each lodge.
I've learned to carry fire extinguishers, not the cheap Kiddy from the box store but good quality 10#er's from a proper supply house. I have one in each vehicle and just take it out when we're in camp, put just behind the door for easy access.

Anybody else got a story or lesson?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Seems I remember hearing of a tee-pee fire one year at Friendship... :hmm:

 

[Calum]

”˜afternoon,

This was a school demo a number of years ago, where we didn’t even have a fire”¦ I set up my bell back wedge (brand new, first event) for atmosphere and was off drilling with the Infantry. Someone came running up and said that my tent was on fire. I laughed it off ”“ no fire, not even anyone smoking (on school property), how could it be on fire?

Got back, and yup, had a hole about the size of a football burnt into it. Fortunately someone doused it with water. Apparently the chaplain-militant was discharging his revolver and embers blew onto the tent without being noticed.

Panther always packs a piece spare piece of canvas in the box. That piece was just the right size to patch the hole”¦ Otherwise I would have been using a section of the chaplain's hide. Which I was tempted to do anyway.

Calum

 

[smo]

I've never witnessed one and hope that I never will . I heard that the fire retardant used on tents only last a few years :idunno: So is it worth the extra expense ?

 

[faste350]

many years ago a terrible thunder storm rolled in and lightning struck one of the tipi,s and it burned. no one was hurt in that one.

 

[bangfxr]

I was at a CW event several years ago and we knew it was going to be cold event and planed accordingly so a lot of camps had stoves going. Well the wind picked up hard and there was a row of Sibly tents (single center pole tent almost like a teepee)that most likely weren't staked down right. The domino effect took over and the Siblys fell over and went up in flames. No one was seriously hurt thank God but a lot of gear destroyed.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Embers from a tent stove caught a rug on fire in a wall tent a few years ago at Fort Fred Market Fair....the hue and cry went up, and about half a dozen fire extinguishers appeared and came running, but it was doused with water by the time we got there with extinguishers. I always have a chem extinguisher in my camp.

:wink:

In the Boy Scouts one "sooper genius" was playing with a new fangled butane lighter, AFTER he was told to put it away. That was in the 1970's when you could adjust the flame on them things from tiny to flame thrower..., and he being one of those kids with high IQ and low common sense, damaged the valve by monkeying with it. THEN he lit it, and it went through the wall of his wall tent. He was lucky..., it was a brand new wall tent with fresh flame retardant....(and Angels look out for idiots - imho)...., so he only blew a hole through the tent instead of it going up like a hay stack.

:shake:

LD

 

[user 27715]

I found this Fire Retardant Treatment. I'd imagine you just roll it on your canvas with a paint roller and let it dry in the sun?

Here's the MSDS for it.

 

[coloradoclyde]

First, I would ask what that fire retardant costs?

Second......

Fire Resistant: Meets CPAI 84 fire retardant code. If a tent is not specifically treated for fire resistance it will burn quickly. Fire Resistant canvas will only burn when there is a flame source present on the canvas. When you remove the flame source the wall tent will stop burning. However, there is no wall tent made that will not burn.
ӢRecommendation: I strongly recommend you consider fire treatment. The additional expense is worth the peace of mind that your tent will not readily catch on fire. I think it is the same pricile as buying insurance.
ӢRecommendation: Do not buy a tent that is not treated for fire resistance and then apply a fire retardant. By applying your own fire resistant treatment you plug up the spaces between the threads which will prevent your tent to breathe. Therefore your canvas tent will have condensation inside the tent just like a synthetic material tent such as Relite.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

..., will lose effectiveness after rain if used outdoors.



LD

 

[user 27715]

If the original fire retardant wears off over a short few years, then there has to be some way to reapply it? No? I've seen a few places and heard from multiple people that you need to retreat your canvas every few years with a mold/mildew treatment. I guess I'm confused as to why the latter treatment is alright but not the former?

-And Clyde, that particular treatment was $68/gallon.

 

[necchi]

Greg,
I've know folks that have been doing this canvas tent rendezvous stuff for decades, many using tents that are that oldand have never heard of it being common practice to treat canvas for "mold-mildew" every few years.
My oldest tent an A-frame is about 15yrs old and it's never had mold, and never been treated. Mold only happens when canvas is packed away wet,, that's a huge No-No.
I don't know anyone that say's it's needed or a good thing to re-treat canvas for mold.
I guess the only time I've heard of folks re-treating their canvas is when they started out with a home made shelter. They usually use cheap painters tarps and need to "water proof" the stuff, and Yup, they need to re-treat those every other year.
A new quality made tent using Sunforger marine grade canvas is a canvas duck that's made for outside and weather extremes, never needing additional treatment.
They are expensive, some folks can't do that kind of cost and make their own,, if they stay with it though,, they usually save up and end up getting a quality pro built tent.

Flame retardant is not Flame proof.
All the flame retardant stuff is/was a government mandate from the 70's in the first place and they're beginning to do a 180 on the subject,, it's seems they're finding out some of the chemicals used are harmful themselves.

Flame retardant wearing off?
Not so sure about that. Much of our clothing has/is flame retardant fabric,, if you've ever experimented with making char cloth,, you soon learn that old clothes doesn't work well,, it'll char but you can have a dickens of a time getting it to catch a spark.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Here's my :2

If you are concerned about fire buy your tent with flame retardant...
I also strongly recommend "sunforger".

I would not re-apply retardant because the retardant you apply might not be compatible with what was factory applied....

Most places have rules established to prevent fires, Fire pits etc.....
"Common sense" and awareness is far better at preventing fire than treatment. Most fires are started by stupidity, carelessness and recklessness.

Remember, your drive to the rendezvous is at least a million times more dangerous than your tent... :grin:

 

[tenngun]

I would like to camp with you, would feel safe. Unfortanitly even in our ranks you find some who left thier common sense at home, or may even never had owned any to begin with :nono:

 

[coloradoclyde]

With everything being said.....I would get the fire proofing....I had a cousin that got burned when I was a kid...I had an uncle that was severely burned in a an auto racing car crash...And I rescued a man from a burning house...
Having a mans skin come off in your hand when you crab his arm to pull him to safety, kinda sticks in your brain.......

It's a small price to pay.....

 

[jfaldo]

Have a friend that burned his wall tent to the ground. He set the tent up with the wood stove, started a fire and went on doing other stuff away from camp. Turned around and the tent was fully in flame. Seems that the wood stove caught the dry grass under it on fire or so they guessed.
The folks I bought my wall tent from do not recommend fireproofing unless required by the state your using in (California for one, go figure). They say the fire retardant weakens the canvas. Personally don't feel the need. A little caution with fire inside the tent is all that's needed to keep it from catching fire. I also use a welders tarp under my wood stove in my tent to eliminate any possibility of the dry grass inside the tent near the stove catching fire.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yes "common sense" and care are the best fire retardants. When I had my pyrmiad/one-poler I used candles or a candle lanter inside. Sometimes the lantern would sit on the ground. Other times it would hang from the pole with a hook I had made. With the open candles I used a 'supposedly' repro candle holder that either could be hung on a pole or hammered into a tree or wall of a log cabin. Like a loaded gun I was always cognizant of their presence and very careful to keep away from the canvas. If I had to get up in the middle of the night I used an authentic Mountain Man mini-mag flashlight. :shocked2: :wink:

 

[greggholmes]

my family was friends with the tee pee fire people.
everyone pitched in to get them back up.
Around 82- 83

 

[sidelock]

Long story. Back in the summer of 1986 my Pard and I bought a custom designed by us tent from a Missoula MT tent maker. It was water proof and fire proof treated. That fall in our VA deer camp in the wee hours of the night my Pard woke me up moaning on my left side next to me. He was in an insulin coma. My Son who had recently had finished fireman school was to my right. I woke my son saying "Charley is in trouble". Before I got out of my sleeping bag Scott was out of his and was straddle Charley. I was lighting the lantern. Scott knew what the problem was and I handed him a jar of jelly and told him to open Charleys' mouth and give it to him on his finger. I tried to restart the wood stove (it was about 20DF) but I had to use paper to get it started, and I stuffed a bunch in the stove. Soon the stove was roaring and the sparks were flying. I rushed out to find medical help (which I did about an hour later----- another story). When I got back with help the tent was afire but smoldering. I put the fire out with water and Charley came out of it but shaken. Charley and I stayed in camp next day, but Scott killed a very nice 8 point buck with his .50 sidelock.

 

[Billnpatti]

I'll tell a couple of fire stories. The first involves a tarp that a friend of mine used to make a Baker tent. He had it all rigged up using local sticks and poles that he picked up from the surrounding area. It made a nice tent. There were warnings of a norther blowing in that night but we all thought we were prepared adequately. That evening as we sat around the fire, suddenly a big gust of wind blew in, tore the tarp from the poles and spun it around into the fire. Everyone scrambled for a stick to get the now flaming tarp out of the fire. The next big gust caught the burning tarp and blew it into some low hanging limbs over the nearby stream. We were trying to figure out how to reach the tarp before we had a forest fire. Another big gust solved our problem by blowing the remains of the smoldering tarp into the stream where it was extinguished and carried away by the current.

The next story doesn't involve a tent but may be instructive, none the less. Another friend of mine was hunting with me. He had frozen his butt off sitting in a blind the evening before and decided to carry a catalytic heater with him to keep warm in the plywood ground blind. As luck had it he got a nice buck with his T/C Hawken. In his excitement, he threw off the blanket he was wrapped in and rushed out to get his deer. As he was gutting it, he heard crackling sounds of a fire. He whirled around only to see his blind going up in flames. When he had thrown off his blanket in his excitment to go fetch his deer, the blanket fell on top of the heater where it caught fire. The blind, his blanket and heater were a total loss but no further damage was done.....and he did have a nice deer. It could have been much worse if there hadn't been a good coating of frost on all of the dead grass around his blind.