A fast-moving fire tore through an RV storage facility in Belle Chasse Friday evening, destroying recreational vehicles, campers and other vehicles while firefighters struggled to find enough water to attack the flames. The biggest obstacle was not getting crews to the scene—it was getting the hydrants to work once they arrived.
The Belle Chasse Volunteer Fire Department was called to Toys on Wheels shortly after 6 p.m., after a customer spotted the top of an RV burning and called 911, according to WDSU’s report. Smoke spread across the West Bank and Terrytown as firefighters battled the blaze in punishing heat.
The first hydrant firefighters tried was dry. A second hydrant produced only a weak flow, forcing crews to contend with a fire that was already consuming tightly packed vehicles and leaving the water supply problem as an additional emergency.
Hydrant problems became a second emergency
Sheryl Wilson, the owner of Toys on Wheels, said she was frustrated by the water-access issues and believes faster access to a reliable hydrant might have reduced the damage. She also said she does not know exactly how the fire began, although she told WDSU it appeared to start on top of an RV.
The parish water department is operated by a contractor and is supposed to flow-test the hydrants twice a year, Chief Roy Robichaux told WDSU. Officials are now discussing whether responsibility for the hydrants should be shifted to the fire department, a possible administrative change prompted by a very visible failure during Friday’s fire.
That question matters in a parish where firefighting depends on a mix of career personnel and volunteers. The Plaquemines Parish Fire Services page says the parish supports seven volunteer fire departments and lists fire suppression as one of the department’s core responsibilities.
Investigation and damage review remain ahead
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and a firefighter report is expected to document every vehicle that burned. Toys on Wheels requires customers to carry insurance for vehicles stored at the facility and plans to continue operating, according to WDSU.
For now, the Belle Chasse fire has left owners sorting through the loss of expensive recreational vehicles—and local officials facing uncomfortable questions about why nearby hydrants could not deliver the water firefighters needed when the flames were at their worst.
