Three people were burned out of their motor home early Tuesday when the vehicle’s engine apparently caught fire while parked at a westside shopping center, according to a Santa Rosa fire official.
The motor home was their residence and held all of their belongings. “That was their home. They lost everything,” said Santa Rosa fire Battalion Chief Mark Basque.
They’d pulled into the Raley’s shopping center parking lot on Fulton Road during the night and were sleeping when flames erupted. The smell of smoke awoke them and they got out safely, finding the engine compartment on fire, Basque said.
The fire spread to the rest of the vehicle and Santa Rosa firefighters, called at 5:45 a.m., found the home on wheels engulfed in flames. The heat also damaged a GMC pickup in the next parking space.
A man from the motor home told firefighters they’d stopped at the shopping center because the vehicle was low on oil and the engine was overheating, Basque said.