Fire, Gas-System and Lightning Damage

Fire, explosion and lightning are covered under partial cover and therefore under fully comprehensive. The claim turns on cause: an insured event is covered, but a fire traced to unauthorised modification, a defective repair or neglected maintenance may not be, which is why the cause investigation matters more here than in any other category.

Why these vehicles burn differently

A motorhome carries a bottled gas installation, a combustion heater, an absorption refrigerator that can run on gas, a 230 V hookup, a 12 V habitation system with a leisure battery, and increasingly a lithium bank and an inverter — all inside a confined, well-insulated space lined with combustible materials. The ignition sources are numerous and the fire load is high.

Consequently, fires in these vehicles develop fast and destroy evidence fast. What survives is often only what was outside the seat of the fire, and the cause investigation has to work from that.

Recurring causes

• Gas installation. Regulator failure, aged flexible hoses beyond their replacement interval, joints disturbed by vibration, and appliances run in conditions they were not designed for. Regular gas system inspection is the standard preventive measure and its absence is one of the first things an insurer asks about.
• Absorption refrigerators. A recurring source of fires in this vehicle class, with several manufacturer recall programmes over the years. If your appliance was subject to a recall and the work was not carried out, that becomes central to the claim.
• Combustion heaters. Blocked flues, obstructed intakes, and units operated after water damage.
• Electrical. Undersized cabling on retrofitted equipment, poor terminations, and — increasingly — lithium battery installations retrofitted without matched charging and protection.
• External. Fires spreading from a neighbouring vehicle or from a site fire. On a dense pitch this is a real exposure and it is a straightforward claim.
• Lightning. Direct strike is rare; damage from a nearby strike inducing surges into wiring and electronics is much less rare and is frequently not identified as such.

The investigation is the claim

In most damage categories the cause is obvious and the argument is about the amount. Fire is the exception. The cause determines whether cover responds at all, and it has to be established from a burnt vehicle.

What the investigation looks for: the seat of the fire, established from burn patterns and material consumption; the state of the gas installation, its inspection history and the age of its flexible components; the condition of appliances and whether recall work was carried out; the electrical installation and any retrofitted equipment; and evidence of unauthorised modification.

This is also why nothing should be moved, cleared or scrapped before the inspection, however unpleasant the vehicle is to be around. A burnt-out motorhome pushed to the edge of a site and cleared by the operator two days later has taken the evidence with it.

Cover

Scope follows your own policy conditions. The table describes the standard German market pattern.

Total loss

Fire produces total losses more directly than any other cause. Smoke and heat penetrate the whole living space, contaminate insulation and upholstery, and leave a residue that is not economically removable from a bonded structure. Even where the fire was localised, the question is usually whether the vehicle can be returned to habitable condition at all, and the arithmetic is set out in total loss and valuation.

Immediately after

• Close the gas cylinder valves if it is safe to reach them. Do not open the compartment if it is hot.
• Do not re-enter to retrieve belongings until the fire service has released the vehicle.
• Photograph the vehicle and its surroundings from a distance before anything is moved.
• Obtain the fire service report and the site operator's record.
• Ask the site operator not to move or clear the vehicle until it has been inspected.
• Locate your gas system inspection records and any appliance recall correspondence.

Where we inspect for this type of damage

Frequently asked questions

Is fire damage covered by partial cover?

Yes. Fire, explosion and lightning sit under partial cover and therefore under fully comprehensive as well.

What if the fire started in the gas system?

It is still an insured event in principle. What can change the answer is neglected mandatory inspection, aged components beyond their replacement interval, or unauthorised modification — which is why the inspection history matters.

My fridge was subject to a recall. Does that affect the claim?

If the recall work was carried out and documented, it strengthens your position considerably. If it was not, expect the insurer to examine that point closely.

Can smoke damage alone be a total loss?

Frequently, yes. Smoke residue penetrates insulation and bonded structure in a way that is not economically removable, even where the fire itself was localised.

Is damage from a nearby lightning strike covered?

Generally yes, but it has to be evidenced as strike-related rather than as a coincidental electronic failure, which is a technical exercise.

More damage-type guides

• Hail Damage to Motorhomes and Caravans: Complete Assessment Guide
• Storm, Gale and Fallen-Tree Damage at European Campsites
• Flood and Inundation Damage to Motorhomes and Caravans
• Theft and Break-In at a Campsite Abroad: Documenting the Claim
• Awning, Carrier and Accessory Damage: Where the Cover Limits Bite
• Glass, Rooflight and Impact Damage on Motorhomes and Caravans
• Is Your Motorhome Still Roadworthy? Post-Damage Safety Assessment
• Marten Bite, Rodent and Wildlife Damage
• Total Loss: Repair Cost, Replacement Value and Residual Value
• Water Ingress and Delamination: What Comprehensive Cover Does Not Pay
• Manoeuvring and Pitch Damage: The Most Common Own-Fault Claim
• Vandalism Damage: Why It Sits Under Fully Comprehensive Only

This page describes the standard pattern of the German motor insurance market and is general information, not advice on your individual contract. Cover always follows your own policy conditions. MOTOEXPERT is a network of certified automotive appraisers (Kfz-Sachverständige). We produce independent technical reports. We do not provide legal representation. Named places and makes are descriptive references only; no commercial connection with their proprietors is stated or implied. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.