Risk of caught in fire and Car Fire Extinguishers

[shirand]

Hi Experts,

I think you know the recent incident of a car caught in fire at the southern expressway (a Japanese tourist couple were travelling). According to some articles I saw this is not due to an accident and the Japanese guy has observed smoke was coming out from the engine room. Also got to know the car is an Allion 260 (surprisingly - assuming the news is true). I have a lot of questions here. Please advice/ share your knowledge.

(1) What can cause this kind of catch in fire (other than due to crashes)? May be overheating/ electrical fault?

(2) If car is properly maintained, is that risk still there? How can we inspect/ identify risks in advance?

(3) Should every vehicle owner carry a small portable car fire extinguisher inside the car? If yes, where it should be kept/ fixed (inside the cabin or inside the boot space)?

(4) What is the type, size of the most suitable car fire extinguisher should use? 

(5) Please share the details where can I buy a suitable car fire extinguisher, prices, specifications etc. 

Thanks.

[hrm]

It's indeed an Allion 260. May be 2007 or 2008 make. Ignore the title though.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2016 by hrm

[Twin Turbo]

Any number of things can go wrong to result in a fire.

Eg, Engine over heating, can be seen from the engine temperature meter in the dash instrument cluster.

You shouldn't worry your self needlessly if you drive a well maintained vehicle.Keeping a fire extinguisher is safe thing to do. even if you wont need it you'll be able to help some who needs one like the occupants of the vid you uploaded.

Recomend a small CO2 unit for this pourpose, and keep it in the boot away from heat.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Twin Turbo

[Hoonigan]

While I was in Qatar, having a small fire extinguisher in the car was a legal requirement. Having one missing would cause you to fail the annual inspection and renewal of the licensing process.

A fire can be caused by many things such as leaking fuel lines/fittings or short circuiting wiring. Had a incident a couple of months back with my project car where the starter motor wire was rubbing on the exhaust manifold and while heating up, melted the insulation and started to short circuit. Noticed it before anything escalated.

While it's not something to lose sleep over, many cars from Lambos to Mercs to Toyotas have caught fire around the world for different reasons and it's definitely not a bad idea to have a small fire extinguisher in the boot. We used to carry the powder type canisters back in Qatar but CO2 makes more sense I think.

[Davy]

Having had personal experience with a car catching fire, I would never say no to having a fire extinguisher on board. In my case,  it was during the first trip after the car bring stored away for about 6 months. Rats had chewed up the wiring in the car which lead to a short circuit. Long story short, it was one of the scariest days of my life. Thanks to the good people who came to my assistance, I was able to save the car. 

Others are right about using a Co2 one and keep it inside the car (under the seat or dash - basically somewhere within arms reach ) and not in the trunk.

Finally, don't contemplate on your car catching fire, just look after it well and do your regular maintenance on time.

[kmeeg]

Choosing fire extinguisher for cars I would put more attention to the extinguisher type. Wrong type would spread the fire. But looking at the label make things easier to select the type. 

As per my understanding if the label says type A,B,C you are pretty much covered for Wood/paper + Liquids + Electrical.

Also if you company provide fire drill / training and if you can get some hands-on training that is the best so you are practiced how to remove the safety pin and other basic operations like pressing the handle, where to hold, where to aim. May be bcos i'm not smart enough i learnt alot from the free training I had at office. 

These type of trainings will provide additional info also about different types of extinguishers and even by colour. 

If you don't have all that I think the best bet is to read the label and see atleast its good for Wood/paper + liquids.

I normally use a brand called Kidde. ( Kidde Marine Fire Extinguisher ) as this is a dry chemical extinguisher and applicable for both home and auto.

 

Hope this helps,

KMeeg.

 

[Crosswind]

Agree with kmeeg. Best option for a car is 'dry powder' fire extinguishers. Foam is also fine in Sri Lankan climes (foam can become frost in colder climes). Foam is what is used if aircraft make emergency landings, belly landings etc.

CO2 may not be as good as dry powder or foam, as Co2 will not stop the fire from spreading fast, in case of fuel-based fires. Never use water. It will spread the fire.

[Hoonigan]

5 hours ago, Crosswind said:

Agree with kmeeg. Best option for a car is 'dry powder' fire extinguishers. Foam is also fine in Sri Lankan climes (foam can become frost in colder climes). Foam is what is used if aircraft make emergency landings, belly landings etc.

CO2 may not be as good as dry powder or foam, as Co2 will not stop the fire from spreading fast, in case of fuel-based fires. Never use water. It will spread the fire.

I thought CO2 would suffocate the flame and put it out. For the possible fire types you would expect in a car, such as Fuel or electricity related, CO2 should be fine.

Practically though, I have only come across the powder type that are specifically made for cars. But I wondered the mess it would make and could potentially cause issues in the eventual repair of the vehicle. What am I missing here?

[Crosswind]

14 hours ago, Hoonigan said:

I thought CO2 would suffocate the flame and put it out. For the possible fire types you would expect in a car, such as Fuel or electricity related, CO2 should be fine.

Practically though, I have only come across the powder type that are specifically made for cars. But I wondered the mess it would make and could potentially cause issues in the eventual repair of the vehicle. What am I missing here?

Spoken like a true Sri Lankan

Machan, in other countries, people are only worried about safety and their least worry is repairing the burned car so using dry powder or foam is not a problem at all.

But in Sri Lanka... car comes first. Life comes second

Co2 is fine for electric fires but it will not stop the fire from reigniting if the fault persists (Co2 dissipates to the atmosphere fast). Also if its a fuel-ignited fire, it will not prevent the fuel from spreading and taking the fire along with it.

[Hoonigan]

5 hours ago, Crosswind said:

Spoken like a true Sri Lankan

Machan, in other countries, people are only worried about safety and their least worry is repairing the burned car so using dry powder or foam is not a problem at all.

But in Sri Lanka... car comes first. Life comes second

Co2 is fine for electric fires but it will not stop the fire from reigniting if the fault persists (Co2 dissipates to the atmosphere fast). Also if its a fuel-ignited fire, it will not prevent the fuel from spreading and taking the fire along with it.

Ha ha yes I guess it's hard to suppress the local tenancies  

I see your point. If it is an electrical spark that ignited the fire in the first place and it keeps sparking up, CO2 wouldn't suppress that for long. Whereas the powder has a better chance.

[matroska]

On 11/1/2016 at 3:30 PM, Hoonigan said:

A fire can be caused by many things such as leaking fuel lines/fittings or short circuiting wiring. Had a incident a couple of months back with my project car where the starter motor wire was rubbing on the exhaust manifold and while heating up, melted the insulation and started to short circuit. Noticed it before anything escalated.

 

In case of classic Beetles the Fuel filter being positioned just above the distributor causes a very real threat. 

[asrock]

Where can I get one of these?

[Jor-el]

Speaking of cars catching fire... (VW)

What might have happened? 

Edited November 3, 2016 by Jor-el

[shirand]

Thanks all for your replies and sharing opinions (sorry for responding late).