Recently, there have been a number of incidents of cars catching fire in hot weather. Below are the causes, how to handle and avoid car fires and explosions, please refer to them.
What caused the car to catch fire?
1. Fuel and liquid leaks
Fuel leaks, specifically gasoline, are one of the most common causes of car fires.
Gasoline can spontaneously evaporate at 7.2ºC, spontaneously ignite at 257.2ºC in the presence of air and easily ignite when exposed to a small spark. Therefore, if gasoline leaks onto hot metal or plastic, the possibility of spontaneous combustion is very high.
In addition to gasoline, there are many other liquids in the car such as transmission oil, brake oil, engine lubricating oil, power steering oil and even engine cooling fluid. If it leaks, it can be very flammable. When the engine is running, fluids circulate and can easily leak if the pipes or tanks containing them are strongly impacted, causing a fire hazard.
2. Turn off the power source
The vehicle’s electrical system is arranged everywhere. When a short circuit occurs, an electric spark will be emitted and if the vehicle is leaking flammable substances, it can cause a fire.
3. Engine is overloaded
An overheated engine cannot spontaneously combust, but it can cause the surrounding rubber or plastic seals to be damaged, leading to leakage of fluids inside the engine such as fuel, oil, and coolant. These liquids, when falling onto other parts such as exhaust pipes, can easily catch fire.
4. Fuel quality does not meet standards
Fuel quality must meet standards. If for some reason, toxic foreign substances appear in the fuel, it will accelerate the process of corrosion and aging of metals, causing calluses of gaskets, rubber pipes, and details.
5. Catalytic converter overheating
Most cars today have an exhaust system that runs the entire length of the car. The catalytic converter part of this system, where the reaction takes place to burn CO and unburned fuel before pushing it out into the environment, is the hottest part of the vehicle.
Normally, the temperature at the catalytic converter is only from 648.9ºC to 871.1ºC but can increase to 1093.3ºC when the engine is operating inefficiently, the unburned fuel must be treated here. big. This causes the surrounding insulation parts to burn and spread to other parts such as the car floor and floor mats, causing a car fire.
6. Open exhaust pipe
Using cars for a long time can cause the car’s exhaust pipe to corrode, causing gaps and hot air leaks. When the hot exhaust gas leaks from the exhaust pipe, it will catch fire with flammable materials swept under the car such as cloth, plastic bags, cardboard… In addition, if the gasoline in the vehicle’s cylinder is not completely burned, it will will continue to burn outside the exhaust pipe, easily causing a car fire or explosion.
7. Collision, accident, car crash
When an accident occurs, the vehicle is hit so hard that fuel can leak to the engine’s hot spot or sparks can randomly appear, causing the vehicle to catch fire. Therefore, when the vehicle is hit by a strong collision, the person in the vehicle must find every way to escape the vehicle and move away to a safe distance and as quickly as possible.
8. Errors from the manufacturer’s design
A few small errors from the manufacturer’s design such as an open pipe connector, a fuel tank cap that is not tightly closed, a screw that is not tight… causing fuel and other liquids to leak combined with sparks. Electricity from wiring with worn insulation can cause disaster.
What to do when your car catches fire
- If a car is on fire, drivers should quickly turn off the engine and get out of the car.
- Then, open the hood to avoid heat in the car, causing a higher risk of fire.
- Call the fire police at phone number 114.
- Find firefighting equipment. If a fire occurs under the vehicle due to a fuel leak, use a powder or gas fire extinguisher sprayed from the outside toward the center of the fire.
- If a fire appears under the hood, use a sharp hard object to carefully open the hood and use a fire extinguisher to spray directly into the center of the fire or use covers (blanket, water-soaked blanket if available). In addition, other fire-fighting materials such as soil, sand, water, etc. can be used.
- If your clothes are contaminated with gasoline, absolutely do not approach the fire.
- Stand upwind when fighting a fire to avoid being splashed by fire.
- If you feel the fire cannot be extinguished, urge everyone to stay away (within 10m from the fire) because the fire can cause the fuel tank to explode.
How to prevent your car from catching fire in hot weather
- There should be measures to cover and shield cars when parked in hot weather.
- You should regularly maintain and check your vehicle periodically to avoid rats, bugs, weather… damaging the vehicle’s internal equipment.
- After vehicles move on roads with straw, it is necessary to check and remove things such as straw from the vehicle to avoid long-term friction, heat… causing fires.
- Equip a fire extinguisher in the car so you have fire-fighting tools available if an incident occurs.
- You should not modify or modify car equipment that can easily cause a fire or explosion risk because these equipment may not have been inspected or tested.
- In addition, you should not leave flammable items such as lighters, gas tanks, etc. in the car.
People should always be vigilant to ensure the safety of property and life for themselves and their loved ones.
