Just yesterday, an RV was photographed next to Colonel Summers Park. As seen, the back end of the RV was up in flames which was just meters away from a large tree. Thankfully, the RV owner was safe and the fire didn’t spread. However, this could have easily been disastrous under different circumstances.

On a related note, this got people talking on social media about the realities of living in Portland next to so many RV dwellers. Just a few weeks back, we did this article that showed one disgruntled resident’s ‘solution’ for dealing with local RVs. And, whilst this may be quite an extreme example, it still sets the tone that many locals are sick and tired of living amongst these steel houses on wheels.

As seen above, the RV in question. It was later confirmed that the female owner got out safely.

So, why are local Portlander’s sick of RVs? In short, there are two reasons. The first is that they’re linked with meth. Have you ever seen Breaking Bad? This is a TV show based on the meth trade and features a lot of RV scenes. In short, this also explains why these vehicles often start fires. Whilst not the case here, it’s still a public safety hazard. Similarly, when not involved in narcotics, poorly maintained RVs can still be very dangerous if their generator catches alight which can and does happen.

Secondly, they are unsightly and can ruin the feel of a neighborhood. Imagine waking up, opening your door and there’s a huge RV parked outside. It’s not really relaxing, is it?

Speaking on the issue, locals had this to say, “At least the owners will be held accountable for putting their neighbors in danger and the negative impact they’ve had on the environment.” and one ironically wrote “Postcards from Portland.”

Sadly, there’s no end in sight for RV culture in Portland. Whilst there are more pressing issues, it’s still something that can cause social unrest in our city and this is yet another example of chaos being caused by an RV dweller.