Wow, I just saw something interesting...
I work here in the 7th floor of a building right next to a major highway here in Houston. I looked outside of the window toward the highway and see gobs of black smoke. Walk up to the window to see a car completely engulfed in flames, so much so that I couldn't tell what the car even was, I thought it was a pick up truck at first. The traffic in the highway was trying to get around it. There were no firemen. I call a coworker over and she comes over is is like OMG! We stand and watch it for awhile and then I wonder aloud: "has anyone called the police"? There still were no firetrucks. So Michelle picks up the phone and calls 911. Turns out that they have already been called. So we watched the car burn. I have never seen a car burn like that, they burn HOT! The flames comming out of the interior of the car were bright orange, almost white. I wonder how that car caught on fire like that? Then the fire truck got there and a tow truck stopped traffic. The firemen get really close to the fire, I was surprised, that had to be dangerous, what if the fire had reached the gas tank and exploded? But the firemen were OK, they put out the fire. I have never seen anything like that. The car was up against this concrete barrier and it was scorching the barrier black. It looked like the car itself was melting a little under the intense flames! Once the fire was out I saw that it was a Chrysler La baron, convertable. I used to drive a Chrysler...
Maybe someone poured gasoline on it, maybe the gasoline tank did explode as long as people are ok.
My family's minivan burst into flames last year! My mom was inside, but was in the midst of parking so the van wasn't going very fast and she was able to jump out unharmed, only she didn't put on the emerg. brake so the van started to roll towards a bunch of houses! So my mom jumped back into the van, put the brake on and jumped out again! :o
I wasn't in town at the time so I didn't get to see the vehicle in person, but my brother sent me some photos of the van all melted and gooey looking. Scary stuff.
I don't think that anybody poured gas on it. But it does look like it hit the concrete barrier, maybe they lost control? But I am not sure if the fire started because they hit the barrier, or if they hit the barrier in a mad dash effort to get the car stopped and out because it was on fire.
I don't think that anybody poured gas on it. But it does look like it hit the concrete barrier, maybe they lost control? But I am not sure if the fire started because they hit the barrier, or if they hit the barrier in a mad dash effort to get the car stopped and out because it was on fire.
Interesting .
Cars on fire very rarely ever explode. They just like to do that in the movies. ;) Car fires usually are started by faulty wiring (shorted out somehow), sometimes by a small gas leak in the engine compartment, or oil buildup over an exhaust. They usually start out pretty small, too, but can build up very quickly. There's a lot of combustibles that make great fuel for a fire that burn easily and burn black -- petroleum-based plastics with good ol' chemicals just like our carpets and furniture in our houses nowadays! (The blacker the smoke, the more uncompletely burnt particles are escaping into the air because the fire is burning so hot and fast it can't burn it all up quick enough.) The fire investigators will be able to tell from the patterns left on the metal of the car and other clues where the fire originated and what may have caused it. If there are combustible liquids added purposefully, like gas thrown on it, that willl leave certain burn patterns. (Same basic way they investigate building fires-- the fires leave burn patterns and leave bits of unburnt evidence behind.)
Anyway, back to car fires exploding-- if the fire reaches the fuel tank it can erupt into more intense flames, but still doesn't normally explode. It takes a specific amount of built up pressure along with the combined fire (heat/spark) to get gas to explode and that perfect combination doesn't normally happen in a car fire. The pressure just doesn't get a chance to build up-- the gas vapors will usually be escaping and releasing pressure already.
The tires of a car will many times make a small "explosion" sound when they blow out because the air will expand inside them as it heats up from flames and burst the tire. It's loud enough to make a firefighter jump when he or she's standing next to it.
Uh yeah, so... probably more info than you wanted, eh? ::)
Wow, firefightress - that was the coolest explanation I've ever heard! Thanks!
thanks firefightress...thats very interesting!! :o