Two couples choose life in old RVs: stories from Denmark and the USA

The city of Asotin, Washington, has temporarily closed two waste disposal sites used by RVers and rafters due to a record surge in usage. The influx overwhelmed the local wastewater treatment plant, prompting officials to schedule a public hearing on August 24 to decide whether to continue the service. The sites include a free RV dump and a BLM-owned SCAT machine.

A group of Ellsworth residents living near a proposed 28-site RV campground on Bayside Road are asking the city to pause all new campground developments in rural zones. The neighbor coalition says the proposed Anchor In Campground will bring noise, traffic, and environmental and safety concerns. They plan to bring a broader proposal to the City Council in mid-August to change zoning rules that currently allow campgrounds in any rural residential area. The developer, Superior Realty Inc., says the land is zoned for the proposed use and neighbors have the right to be heard.

Jude Christensen, a Salt Lake City resident, has reported the same occupied RV repeatedly returning to her Sugar House neighborhood for over two years. Despite parking tickets, the vehicle returns. City officials are considering expanding the definition of camping to include living in vehicles on public property, which would allow police to contact occupants and offer services. The proposal faces opposition, including from Nomad Alliance, which advocates for a legal safe-parking program.

Fire crews extinguished a camper fire in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Thursday afternoon. The fire occurred in the 4800 block of Northwest 178th Terrace. Firefighters found the camper fully engulfed in flames upon arrival. Residents of the home used garden hoses to contain the fire before crews arrived. No injuries were reported. The possible cause is an air fryer inside the camper. The Red Cross was called to assist the family with temporary housing.

Firefighters extinguished a fully engulfed RV fire in Newhall on Thursday morning. The call came in around 10:40 a.m. near Wiley Canyon and Fourl Roads. Crews prevented the fire from spreading to nearby property. No injuries were reported.

In Berkeley, California, officials confirmed that a man died from leptospirosis after living in a recreational vehicle they said was heavily infested with wild rats. A woman who lived with him also got sick but later recovered under medical care. According to the Berkeley Scanner, first responders were called to the RV in May, and nearly 200 rats were removed before the vehicle was destroyed. The couple had been trapping, feeding, and breeding wild rats, and they delayed seeking medical care for weeks or months. Berkeley had not reported a human leptospirosis infection in over 10 years. The city issued public warnings and established a buffer zone for rodent control.