Wall Tent Safety... (FIRE)

[Horn Seeker]

I've spent several hundred nights in a wall tent...and many of those nights were peppered with a stove glowing orange at 273 kelvin... with me laying on top of bag with no clothes on... To be honest, I never once considered worrying about the tent catching fire. One time, the wood pile next to the stove started catching fire... learnt that lesson!

Anyhow... a buddy was up the Missouri paddlefishing this weekend. He got up early Sunday morn and started a fire in his stove... hopped back in bag... got up 1/2 hr later and stoked it, and put coffee pot on it...

As he was drifting in and out of slumber waiting to get up to hot coffee he here's a "Whooosh" and opens his eyes to the tent roof engulfed in flames. He screamed at his buddy to wake up and they, with the yellow lab, exited immediately wearing nothing but underwear. They then proceeded to lift the walls and grab gear, simultaneously knocking the center pole down to collapse the burning part in order to smother it and dump water on it...

Well, within 2 minutes he says the tent was almost completely consumed... and much of his gear inside was pretty much ruined.

He has NO idea what happened or why? He's had a hundred stove fires in this tent...

Do you guys "retreat" your tents with flame retardent ever? I have a 15 yr old wall tent that i've never "re-treated"... I cant imagine waking to it in flames with me and my daughters and friends in it...

He was burning juniper... do you think that had anything to do with it? I've burnt a little juniper through the years... but not enough to say I am sure that it is or isn't a problem...

Thoughts???

 

[Colberjs]

That's scary stuff. I recently acquired a wall tent but have only stayed 5-6 nights in it. I'm curious to hear the answers to your questions.

Glad your buddies are OK!!!

 

[putm2sleep]

I have too, spent many nights in the wall tent. We had a night like this at elk camp in 2003.
5 alarm fire at 2am = the stack caught the tent on fire - stoked up way too hot and burned the retardent skirt. Mayhem ensued. No one hurt. A down bag was toast. But everyone survived to tell the tale and kill an elk in the am. It was the last time I used a stove. I have gone to an indoor propane radiant heater with sensor. Shut off at night. love cuttin wood and a dry fire in the wall tent but love waking up and hunting more i guess.
Glad all is well.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Yeah, there really is nothing like that wood stove heat when you are cold and wet... hmmm.

Maybe only fires when awake...

I am going to write a couple tent companies and see what they say. I also contacted a company that sells a fire retardent... I am thinking a guy just needs to apply new retardent every couple years???

 

[2rocky]

1) maintain the stove pipe to reduce creasote build up
2) have a spark arrestor on the stove pipe.
3) CA requires Retardant Treated tents. Not sure about other states Warning label

 

[Sytes]

Stove pipe I would guess to be the problem. Creosote buildup, and the other possible issue, sparks or a combo of both.

Retardant re application is a fair safety step. I've not done such though will keep in mind having read this thread.

Probably a good idea to check the integrity of the stove jack as well.

I hear what putem2sleep states though I believe with mindful checking of safety potentials, I am a die hard lover of the wood stove outdoor culture.

This thread is certainly a valuable safety reminder. Thank God no one was hurt!

 

[sagebrush]

I can't sleep in a tent with the stove burning. Too hot for me to sleep! I burn a fire in the stove in the morning and its out by the time I leave camp. I light the stove in the evening to get the chill off and shower and its out by the time I hit the sack.

 

[Horn Seeker]

Sage... when its 10 below... you aren't going to get too hot to sleep in a wall tent! Although, that is rare during hunting season! but, we pretty much always load the stove up and shut her down at lights out. And like I said, I usually start out on top of bag and wake up frozen!! hehehe

I have written 2 big tent companies and two have returned messages saying they are not aware of any after market fire retardent treatment. I cant believe that... but??

If anyone knows of any sprays or treatments, let me know k. I'll post up anything I figure out.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I enjoy the wood fire so I guess I better figure out how to do some maintenance on my pipe.



I meant my stove pipe.

 

[sluggo6850]

I've never stayed in a wall tent, but just have a question. Do you think the fire stated on the outside from sparks from the stove pipe, or somehow started inside. Had to tell when you don't see it start.

 

[Much2hunt]

Any chance he may of applied a mineral spirit based canvas perservative(Canvak)?

 

[Spitz]

Hunting with Randy in Wyoming last November we had some wood near the stove start smoldering in the middle of the night. I was awake and started venting the tent out but Randy was asleep. He sat straight up out of a dead sleep and hollered "holy $&@!" thinking the tent was on fire. I told him I had it taken care of. He laid down and was dead to he world within 3 seconds. Took me a while to fall back asleep as I couldn't stop chuckling.

 

[putm2sleep]

Ya dont sleep well when stuff goes down in the tent in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Horn Seeker]

This tent DID have canvak applied. Bad idea???

 

[Much2hunt]

This tent DID have canvak applied. Bad idea???

Some claim the following label warning only applies when it is wet , maybe not!

Caution.keep away from flames open sparks and other gnition sources. Flammable

 

[Musket Man]

Did he have a spark arrester on it? How far was the end of the chimney away from the tent? It sounds like the chimney overheated or a bunch of sparks came out and landed on the tent. The wood could have something to do with it especially if it was green or burned hotter then what he is used to burning. I dont let the fire in my wood stove get to hot and let it burn down pretty well or go out before I go to sleep and it is always out before I leave.