The most dangerous housing in America

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Saw this in the Des Moines Register about old mobile homes being death traps in fires;

The quality of manufactured housing built today is as safe as, or safer than, site-built housing, fire officials say. But 1.4 million mobile homes built from the 1930s to the mid-1970s still dot the American landscape, many of them home to the poorest of the poor.

A national commission in 1973 called mobile homes from that era the fastest-burning housing in America.

State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds said the homes' low ceilings, wood paneling, plyboard floors and highly flammable interior finishings mean the homes can go from "fire to nothing in 20 minutes."

Older mobile homes are "fire traps, or close to it," said Mike Slifka, who recently retired from the National Fire Protection Association. "They burned so quickly people couldn't get out."

And in another case of "This is what you voted for" there's probably not going to be anything available to get people who live in these death traps in to safer housing anytime soon.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I love living in a tinderbox. Sure it's a late 80s model, but I

only feel marginally safer due to every room having windows large enough to go out of. My biggest fear is a fire starts while we are sleeping and we don't hear the smoke detector going off.

[SPedigrees]

2. Another "benefit" of mobile home construction is

that the glue used in the pressboard is reportedly dinner for cockroaches and, especially in warm climates, these little buggers will take up residence in the walls beside this food source.

[maryf]

3. Yep, affordable housing is disappearing by the day...

number one cause of homelessness...the poor are so dispensible... :grr:

[KT2000]

4. Have had two go up

so far this winter in the small community where I live. Good thing - all the people did get out.
The cause was wiring in both.