Not something you see every day (or, 'The Unintentional Camp Fire'...)

[Brad Johnson]

On the way to work this a.m. I could see a heavy pall of smoke just off an upcoming intersection.  There's a restaurant there so I expexted to see something associated with it.  Turns out it was a vehicle just in front of the restaurant - a Suburban - engulfed in flames.  Whatever happened it must have been sudden as the vehicle was totally involved right down to the tires but emergency services weren't yet on the scene.  Considering there's a fire station less than a mile away and the average response time to that intersection is two to three minutes, whatever happened did so rapidly.

It looked like everyone was out.  All the doors were open and there were people in suits standing off to the side (waaaaaay off to the side) next to a small pile of assorted stuff.  People were moving cars out of the parking lot.  I was about 200 feet away with the windows rolled up and could still feel the heat.  Big fire, that.

Brad

[Boomhauer]

Yep, cars burn quick. SOP in my family is if the vehicle catches on fire, bail out as soon as she comes to a stop.

[roo_ster]

Yep, cars burn quick. SOP in my family is if the vehicle catches on fire, bail out as soon as she comes to a stop.

Happen often?

[Jimmy Dean]

Yep, cars burn quick. SOP in my family is if the vehicle catches on fire, bail out as soon as she comes to a stop.

What happens if a toyota catches fire though?  Just gotta bail out as it accelerates out of control?

[Boomhauer]

Happen often?

Actually, Dad had a brake failure that caused a fire in his van. He was able to put it out with fire extinguisher.

You know I meant it didn't happen often, that is the pre-agreed upon plan.

What happens if a toyota catches fire though?

The sky turns legal pad yellow and the lawyersharks begin circling...

[Tallpine]

The modern cars are way worse than the old ones.

All that plastic burns like a drum of gasoline, as opposed to the old cars that were mostly steel.  And the electric fuel pumps sometimes keep gushing out gas as long as the wiring lasts.

The energy absorbing bumper cylinders are like cannons ready to fire as soon as they get hot enough.  They taught us never to stand in front or behind a burning car.

Also the gas operated hood/tailgate lifts can shoot too.

All in all, the standard procedure is just to keep the car from causing something else to catch fire too.

[Perd Hapley]

I once had the rare privilege of watching an SUV burn uncontrollably, then I got to examine the burnt carcass.  It was WIN! 

The owner apparently set it on fire as he was driving through an empty parking lot, then put it in park and went to alert the security personnel.  "I don't know what happened, I was just driving along and it went up in flames!"

[Brad Johnson]

Turns out this one started somewhere around an IPod accessory jack (no distinction if it was an audio or DC adapter).  According to the news the guy saw smoke and immediately pulled over.  When it wasn't directly apparent what was going on, he pulled his 7 year old son to safety.

Best I can tell total time from pulled over to completely incinerated was under four minutes, one of which I was present for.  The last of one, apparently, as when it was totally involved when I saw it. The only way the fire dept could have done anything was if they had been sitting in the parking lot with hoses attached and pressured up.  Even then it would have been iffy and the vehicle would have sustained massive (and most likely total) water damage.

At least no one was injured.

Brad

Brad

[French G.]

 I seem to encounter more than a few car-b-ques. Years ago I stopped on the side of the interstate in Vermont for a family with a car on fire. I am pretty certain that everything they owned was in there. Everyone was out, and I got them far away. The engine compartment was on fire and the hood popped with the safety latch hooked, just enough space for me to get a blast in there from my fire extinguisher. I got the fire out under the car, just had gotten the engine compartment nearly out. As my fire bottle runs down I can distinctly hear the electric fuel pump running. It re-flashed, I turned and walked away. Due to the slope of the shoulder fuel was coming out of a rupture somewhere, igniting as it dripped down the exhaust and then pooling around the right front tire. I was about 100ft away, walking back to my car, when the tire blew. From there, the car was fully involved in about a minute. Sad for those folks.

Funniest off road moment was having to literally take a fire bottle out of a volunteer fire doggie's hand to put out a blazing race car. They were doing the dumb-founded stare. The driver had bailed and was a little spazzed because his lower legs were on fire. Methanol, good fire suit, no big deal. The hardest part was catching him and holding him down so the 1 gallon of water needed to put him out could be applied.

My sister's Suburban burned from a broken fuel line after a sideswipe collision. Hot enough to melt the aluminum water pump. The other driver fared worse, doing the red-neck arm hang out the window, ripped open his brachial artery. Sis the nurse saved his ass in the ensuing 45 minute EMS response time. Biggest LOL was that her family was on their way o 4th of July fun, back of the truck was full of not quite legal in Virginia fireworks. Kids got the early show.