Wow! Neighbor's car on fire

I had an old Volvo catch fire while I was driving it. That was pretty exciting. All i heard was a PFFFFTT and then smoke filled the cabin. I pulled into the ditch, opened the hood and saw fire. I grabbed my duffle and walked away. By the time somebody called the fire department (this was long before cell phones) the flames in the engine bay were about 10 feet high. Luckily i never had enough money to fill the gas tank, but in any event it didn't blow up or anything.

Never was sure what it was. I figured electrical but that was such an old junker it could have been anything.
 
Thomas Linton said:
In our area, the building code requires that the walls and ceilings between a garage space and the rest of the house be fire-rated. Ditto for the door between the two. This is becasue if the documented occurrence of motor vehicles catching on fire when "off" and parked AND the presence in garages of highly flammable materials that emit dangerous gasses (think car). I think you will find that your local building code provides for the same. He lived on one block for twenty-five years, and two cars caught on fire in that time, fortunately in the street. One was a classic - a Barracuda - and the other a brand-new minivan. The owner took a bath on the 'Cuda. The Minivan was pretty well covered. One fire started in the paper air filter cartridge and the other was electrical, or so we were told.
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I wonder how much this would help us in my area for a few reasons: many/most of the houses do not have garages. The cars are parked on the street or in driveways located between the homes.

Some people with garages convert them to finished basements, and I don't know if any of this is up to a fire-rated code or even any code if the homeowner does this without a permit.

I would also be doubtful due to the age of the homes. I don't know what the code was in the late 50's, and I know that most of the homes are grandfathered in terms of electrical, etc., until the owner sells or renovates to the extent of needing a building permit. I have never heard a home inspector mention the quality of the house and basement walls that face the driveway.

It is interesting to hear confirmation that these things happen regardless of the age of the vehicle.

After all of this, it seems the smart thing to do is to park at the rear of the driveway or on the street-- as far away from the house, property and/or other vehicles as possible.
 
Don't get TOO paranoid. :D

While what has been said here, I.e., that cars can and do auto-combust (pun unintended), it happens very infrequently, compared to the number of cars out there.

Age of the vehicle plays a big part in the equation. Older vehicles means cracked insulation with wire exposure possibilties, worn gaskets and hoses leading oil/fuel leaks, cracked battery housings (releasing sulfuric acid), etc.

The next major factor is human actions. Spilling flammable products and failing to clean up properly, improper storage (gas cans and oil containers in the garage) as well as leaky/cracked gas cans and oil containers, etc. Although the oil storage is safer now with plastic bottles rather than cardboard cans, gas storage is less safe with plastic cans rather than metal ones (cracking-wise). Some worry about metal gas cans sparking, but I have never seen a metal gas can produce a spark, most likely due to metal composition.

And yes, Virginia, humans were dumb enough to put 24 quarts of oil in wax coated cardboard cans in a cardboard box for transport. :D And, oh how many of those cans did I punch a hole in trying to insert the spout in a hurry? More than 1 I can assure you.:grumpy: :D

Personally, because I have the room and outbuildings, I keep all gasoline, diesel and oil containers in a separate building, away from the other buildings. Additionally, all paint products are kept in an old freezer.
 
I'm really glad I stopped and read this thread. Before I came in here, I honestly wouldn't have believed that it was possible for a car to just catch fire unless arson was involved.
 
Yes, old cars can catch on fire but there have been recalls of modern cars because of glitches causing a fire as well.
Old as well as new - they catch on fire on occasion. Its just for different reasons.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
Don't get TOO paranoid. :D

While what has been said here, I.e., that cars can and do auto-combust (pun unintended), it happens very infrequently, compared to the number of cars out there.

Age of the vehicle plays a big part in the equation. Older vehicles means cracked insulation with wire exposure possibilties, worn gaskets and hoses leading oil/fuel leaks, cracked battery housings (releasing sulfuric acid), etc.

The next major factor is human actions. Spilling flammable products and failing to clean up properly, improper storage (gas cans and oil containers in the garage) as well as leaky/cracked gas cans and oil containers, etc. Although the oil storage is safer now with plastic bottles rather than cardboard cans, gas storage is less safe with plastic cans rather than metal ones (cracking-wise). Some worry about metal gas cans sparking, but I have never seen a metal gas can produce a spark, most likely due to metal composition.

And yes, Virginia, humans were dumb enough to put 24 quarts of oil in wax coated cardboard cans in a cardboard box for transport. :D And, oh how many of those cans did I punch a hole in trying to insert the spout in a hurry? More than 1 I can assure you.:grumpy: :D

Personally, because I have the room and outbuildings, I keep all gasoline, diesel and oil containers in a separate building, away from the other buildings. Additionally, all paint products are kept in an old freezer.
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I'll try not to be too paranoid.:D However, as I look around at some of the corners people cut and the nutty things they do around here, I think I got a good wake-up call on this one. Just to give you an idea of the mentality I'm referring to:

Today I took a walk: parked bumper-to-bumper in one driveway (between 2 closely-spaced houses) are THREE old, dead, rusted, filled-with-crap vans. Now, that has to be some kind of fire hazard. Just the crap stored inside the vehicles looks suspect. I don't know if the owner has drained the fluids, removed the engines, or what he has stored inside. But with all the foliage draping over the vehicles and growing out of the engine cover, I think I would report this if I were his neighbor based on this thread.

As you may know, open burning is not allowed in the city of Boston without a permit. I spoke with the Fire Chief--main guy--and he said that's never going to happen for a homeowner in city limits. Well, my neighbor thinks he is special, and he cut down 2 very old tress, sawed them into smaller pieces and proceeded to burn them 16 hours straight. I call the FD as the smoke was unbearable, and this was about 20 feet from my house. The FD came out, and the wife bullied them so badly they left.

The next day, I went to the FD and spoke with them. They were horrified, and one of the firefighters went back to their house (after they had stopped) and issued a warning that they were forbidden from burning. Thank God, because I think they were going to burn all day, every day, all summer until they had burned all this green wood.

Another neighbor had a leaking, wet basement. I couldn't figure out why the FD was over at her house all the time after it rained. They were PUMPING out her basement. That doesn't seem right. I think she should get a sump pump and leave the FD out of this. See what I mean? Not the most considerate people?

BTW, I'm missing the Virginia reference?

Charlie_K said:
I'm really glad I stopped and read this thread. Before I came in here, I honestly wouldn't have believed that it was possible for a car to just catch fire unless arson was involved.
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Thanks, me too. I'd only seen this kind of thing on the highway.
 
Not that there's anything funny about the OP's story, but this reminds me of K Trevor Wilson's story about cooking french fries in a pot of oil on the stove..

"Mr. Beatty, it's an emergency, I need to borrow your fire extinguisher!!"

"What for?!"

"...I'm sorry that the words 'emergency' and 'FIRE EXTINGUISHER' weren't enough for you... I'm rehearsing a play."
 
A play on the phrase "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." You must not be old enough to enjoy the cultural reference. :D The reference is to a letter by an 8 y.o. girl, "Virginia O'Hanlon", written to the NY Sun newspaper and the paper's editor's response.

See http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/

Use of the phrase is used to refer to something is true but appears at first glance to be a "myth".

I would say that everyone under the age of 35, and most folks under 40, have never experienced the joys of adding oil to an engine from wax coated paper oil containers. The first plastic bottles came out by Pennzoil back in 1984 and by 1986, all oil companies had shifted to the "newfangled idea". After that time, the only cardboard and tin oil cans to be found were NOS sitting in dust on shelves in old, rural auto parts and general stores.

I have had many "youngsters" under 25 call "BS" when I mention "cardboard oil cans".
 
zzyzzogeton said:
I would say that everyone under the age of 35, and most folks under 40, have never experienced the joys of adding oil to an engine from wax coated paper oil containers. The first plastic bottles came out by Pennzoil back in 1984 and by 1986, all oil companies had shifted to the "newfangled idea". After that time, the only cardboard and tin oil cans to be found were NOS sitting in dust on shelves in old, rural auto parts and general stores.

I have had many "youngsters" under 25 call "BS" when I mention "cardboard oil cans".
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The shift you refer to is about as old as I am, give or take a year, but this is still the first time I've heard of it.
 
I remember cardboard oil cans, and I'm only 45.... but then again, I've been under cars since I was about 4 helping my dad tinker.



Yes, car fires happen all the time, and for all sorts of reasons. But statistically speaking, your chances of having one are astronomically small, considering how many cars are on the road.

I do corner marshaling at race tracks, which means I've seen a lot of car fires over the years. Even at a race track, most fires are caused less by accidents, and more by something simple like faulty electrical, or spilled fluids overheating in the engine bay, etc. In fact it's more common for one to ignite AFTER coming off track, and something under the hood has had the chance to sit and smolder for a while.

The thing is though, even dealing with race cars, which are pushed harder, run hotter, etc, fires are relatively uncommon (granted, they are better maintained than the average street car). So you shouldn't be paranoid. Keep your car maintained, clean the engine bay and undercarriage periodically, and the chances of having an issue are going to be almost nil. Also, I keep a fire extinguisher in every vehicle I own (some of this is the prepped in me, some of it is the racer). I keep it just as much for other people's vehicles as I do mine
 
zzyzzogeton said:
A play on the phrase "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." You must not be old enough to enjoy the cultural reference. :D The reference is to a letter by an 8 y.o. girl, "Virginia O'Hanlon", written to the NY Sun newspaper and the paper's editor's response.

See http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/
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Very nice. I don't think I can use my age as an excuse. Next time I talk to my dad, I'll have to ask him about those oil cans.
 
Car fires are fun, had one happen at work last year. Just kind of went "poof!" people wouldn't get away from it. Idiots taking selfies with a fire bomb with a lit fuse. Had to go sprinting at track star speeds (I'm 5'9" and 235lbs so quite a sight to see) a long distance for a fire extinguisher, knocked over a bunch of customers who wouldn't make a hole, slipped on an ice cream cone and broke my arm. Got the fire extinguisher sprinted quite a distance back, knocked over some kid who was bragging about being a firefighter, slid in next to the car and emptied the extinguisher into the engine. Fires mostly out, but I'm not done, because there's a bunch of idiots at the road who won't move for the fire truck. I have to sprint down to the road at this point I have a broken arm, dirt down my butt crack, and between the fire extinguisher and the sprinting, my asthma's not doing me any favors. Some fat lady starts to cuss me out and I tear loose with the loudest string of profanity you've ever heard, the look on her face was better than a nice shiny penny. Fire truck comes and they empty gallons of water into the engine, then the tow truck comes and backs into a light post, which I have to fix later. Just a day in the life of a parking guy.
 
GWashington1732 said:
Car fires are fun, had one happen at work last year. Just kind of went "poof!" people wouldn't get away from it. Idiots taking selfies with a fire bomb with a lit fuse. Had to go sprinting at track star speeds (I'm 5'9" and 235lbs so quite a sight to see) a long distance for a fire extinguisher, knocked over a bunch of customers who wouldn't make a hole, slipped on an ice cream cone and broke my arm. Got the fire extinguisher sprinted quite a distance back, knocked over some kid who was bragging about being a firefighter, slid in next to the car and emptied the extinguisher into the engine. Fires mostly out, but I'm not done, because there's a bunch of idiots at the road who won't move for the fire truck. I have to sprint down to the road at this point I have a broken arm, dirt down my butt crack, and between the fire extinguisher and the sprinting, my asthma's not doing me any favors. Some fat lady starts to cuss me out and I tear loose with the loudest string of profanity you've ever heard, the look on her face was better than a nice shiny penny. Fire truck comes and they empty gallons of water into the engine, then the tow truck comes and backs into a light post, which I have to fix later. Just a day in the life of a parking guy.
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WAY too exciting for me! But your story seems to bolster my confidence in the idiot factor that either contributes to or is brought out in these situations. BTW, you paint a lovely picture!:D
 
GWashington1732 said:
Car fires are fun, had one happen at work last year. Just kind of went "poof!" people wouldn't get away from it. Idiots taking selfies with a fire bomb with a lit fuse. Had to go sprinting at track star speeds (I'm 5'9" and 235lbs so quite a sight to see) a long distance for a fire extinguisher, knocked over a bunch of customers who wouldn't make a hole, slipped on an ice cream cone and broke my arm. Got the fire extinguisher sprinted quite a distance back, knocked over some kid who was bragging about being a firefighter, slid in next to the car and emptied the extinguisher into the engine. Fires mostly out, but I'm not done, because there's a bunch of idiots at the road who won't move for the fire truck. I have to sprint down to the road at this point I have a broken arm, dirt down my butt crack, and between the fire extinguisher and the sprinting, my asthma's not doing me any favors. Some fat lady starts to cuss me out and I tear loose with the loudest string of profanity you've ever heard, the look on her face was better than a nice shiny penny. Fire truck comes and they empty gallons of water into the engine, then the tow truck comes and backs into a light post, which I have to fix later. Just a day in the life of a parking guy.
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Man, there just needs to be circumstances under which you can legitimately shoot people who won't get out of the way.
 
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