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Vehicle fires happen more often in summer. Are you prepared?
Vehicle fires, like the one that erupted in Dover Township on Thursday, are common in the summer months and it's important to be prepared. Courtesy of Dover Township Fire Department
We all know we're supposed to wear our seat belts, but what do you do if your vehicle catches fire?
How can you prevent a vehicle fire?
Fire departments in the United States responded to about 229,500 vehicle fires per year from 2007 to 2011, according to the National Fire Protection Association. These fires caused an average of 328 deaths, 1,426 injuries and $1.4 billion dollars in property damage per year.
Although a vehicle fire can start after a crash, sometimes vehicle fires are caused by poor maintenance or wear and tear on the vehicle.
Millions of vehicles have been recalled because of defects that could cause a fire, including BMW which recalled 1.4 million vehicles in November for two possible issues, Hyundai which recalled 88,000 vehicles in January because of an electrical short in the anti-lock braking system that could cause an engine compartment fire, and Audi which recalled 1.2 million vehicles in April because the electric coolant pumps could overheat and possibly cause a fire.
On Thursday, Dover Township Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire in the area of Cardinal Lane and Fountain Rock Drive in Dover Township. Someone with the department took video of the fire after securing the vehicle so it didn't roll away.
According to the post on the department's Facebook page, the department has found "that sometimes during a fire the brakes will release causing the flaming vehicle to roll away."
Vehicle fires are common in the summer months when engines can more easily overheat and drivers sometimes pay less attention to maintenance, said Dave Phillips of State Farm.
"You definitely see increases in things like vehicle fires when you have increases in travel," Phillips said. "It can happen at any time, but because of people traveling more (in the summer months) and putting more wear and tear on their vehicles and not doing the maintenance," they seem to be more frequent in the summer months.
Phillips said people more frequently check their emergency road kit to make sure it's fully stocked in the winter months because they don't want to be stranded in the cold weather.
But with possible hazards like vehicle fires, it's important to always be prepared.
According to AAA, if a fire breaks out under your vehicle’s hood or in the passenger compartment you should:
- Steer the vehicle off the road.
- Turn off the ignition and all switches, then get passengers out and away from the vehicle.
- Call 911 and notify the fire department.
- If the fire is under the vehicle’s hood and flames are shooting out, do not raise the hood.
State Farm also points out that vehicle fires can start in places other than the vehicle's engine compartment, including in or near the brakes or wheels, in your dashboard and possibly inside your vehicle.
So, if you smell smoke or see flames coming from anywhere in or around your car, remain calm but act quickly.
Generally, it's not recommended that you try to put the fire out yourself since accessing the fire increases its air supply and could make it worse.
According to State Farm, some warning signs of problems with a vehicle's electrical or fuel system that could possibly cause a fire are:
- Fuses that blow repeatedly.
- Spilled oil under the hood left over from an oil change.
- Oil or other fluid leaks under the vehicle.
- Cracked or loose wiring, or wiring with exposed metal.
- Very loud sounds from the exhaust system.
- Rapid changes in fuel level, oil levels, or engine temperature.
- A missing cap from the oil filter.
- Broken or loose hoses.