Round Valley Fire destroys man's RV on State Route 87
Man escapes burning RV on SR 87
Richard Yingling is left with an uninhabitable house after his motorhome caught fire near Round Valley. Friends are raising funds to help him recover his lost savings. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
A man says he is lucky to be alive after his motorhome burst into flames, shutting down State Route 87 for hours on Wednesday.
The fire, known as the Round Valley Fire, spread to the surrounding land, burning about 30 acres.
What we know:
After Richard Yingling’s motorhome hit some kind of debris on State Route 87 near Round Valley, he says it was mere seconds before the vehicle was up in flames.
"Smoke just started rolling over my head and across the windshield," Yingling said. "It was so hot, the flames were over my head. I crawled out and pulled myself down the stairs and took off and probably 30 seconds later, it was completely engulfed in flames."
He made it out unharmed, but the RV exploded, sparking a brush fire that burned at least 30 acres.
"When it exploded, it blew out both sides, it caught both sides of the road on fire," Yingling said.
The road was shut down for two hours as dozens of firefighters battled the flames. While grateful to be alive, Yingling lost everything.
"I didn't have a whole lot, but I had everything in there," Yingling said. "My clothes, my money."
Car explosion caught on camera, sparking the Round Valley Fire
The Round Valley Fire burned 30 acres along State Route 87 after a vehicle fire exploded. Both directions of the highway have since reopened after a two-hour closure.
Dig deeper:
His only remaining asset, he says, is an unfinished house near Lakeside, Arizona, left uninhabitable by former renters.
"My daughter and I are kind of living on the floor here," Yingling said.
The fire also destroyed the funds he needed to fix it.
"It's just it's unreal how much it costs to, you know, what it takes to rebuild a home," his daughter, Heather Yingling, said.
Now, friends are stepping in to help replace basics, hoping the community will support a man who asks for so little, but has been through a lot.
"My dad's a good man," Heather Yingling said. "It just seems like he's been shelled out one disaster or a heartache at a time for a while now."
Friends are collecting donations for everything from pots and pans to clothes for Richard.
What you can do:
For those who would like to help, they’ve organized a GoFundMe.