What to Do If Your Car (or Truck) Catches Fire
Jason Lancaster | Apr 09, 2012 | Comments 5
Auto fires are rare (unless you drive an F150, but that’s another story). However, despite their relative rarity, we’ve all probably seen at least one vehicle fire on the side of the road. Ford cruise control fires notwithstanding, car fires can occur. The questions is, do you know what do you do when the vehicle you’re driving catches fire?
This burned-out F150 is a reminder that car fires can and do happen - are you prepared?
Here are some helpful tips:
Get out immediately – This should be common sense, but if your car catches fire with you in it than the first thing to do is get out safely. If you’re driving down the road, pull over immediately and evacuate the car to a safe distance. It’s critical to stay calm here – rashly slamming on the brakes and swerving around in a panic can compound the issue.
Also, don’t worry about your “stuff.” This isn’t the time to worry about collecting your George Strait CD collection or your favorite jacket from the back seat. Car fires move incredibly fast, and can sometimes (not often) even result in an explosion. Get out and get back.
Call for help – After you and everyone in the vehicle is a safe distance away, now is the time to call 911. Don’t be caught up in the thought that the fire will put itself out on its own. This isn’t a campfire you can watch slowly die out. Your vehicle is full of flammable liquids that could cause a small engine fire to consume the entire vehicle in a short amount of time.
Take Action Yourself – Sometimes a small fire can be tamed quickly. If you are in a situation where you have access to a fire extinguisher, you know what to do. But keep in mind that snow and dirt are both decent at putting out a fire (only dirt is better).
UPDATE: Reader AJ (a firefighter) left a very smart comment below. Specifically, AJ pointed out that no matter how big or small your vehicle fire is, there’s a pretty good chance the insurance company is going to declare your vehicle a total loss. Therefore, there might not be any point in trying to put the fire out yourself.
What’s more, AJ pointed out that standing near an engine compartment on fire is inherently dangerous as the gas struts holding up the hood can easily explode or launch off the vehicle, exploding batteries can spray acid, etc.
So, the official advice now is: Don’t bother to put out the car yourself. It’s not worth the risks, and the insurance company probably isn’t going to care either way.
Larger Fire? – If the fire is growing out of your control, it’s best to get your emergency case out of your trunk and then stand back. Quite simply, a car is a replaceable asset and isn’t worth your life. Your comprehensive auto insurance will help cover damages to the vehicle and help you get a new vehicle.
By the way, you might be wondering what does my comprehensive insurance cover? It generally pays for damage to your vehicle that is caused by things such as a collision with an animal, theft, flood and glass damage. For reference, collision insurance coverage will pay for when you cause an accident like driving into another object (like another car).
Remember when your car catches fire, the first task is to get out of it. Then you can call for help and/or try to put the fire out yourself. But, whatever you do, don’t be a hero. It’s not worth it.
Related Posts:
Filed Under: TundraHeadquarters.com
Hey Jason, I’m a firefighter, I’ll add a few things.
If you report a fire in your vehicle to your insurance it will be totaled (electrical nightmares and unidentified metallurgy issues). Keep this in mind as you make a risk versus gain assessment as to putting it out or letting it burn. Stay clear of gas struts, found in the hood of a tundra or the window of a camper shell, as they can rocket out and impale. Tires, air bags, and an assortment of under the hood items can and do decompress violently, stand clear. Also the smoke from a car fire contains nothing good for you.
AJ – Excellent point about the risk/reward of putting out the fire. Never occurred to me that even a partially damaged engine would likely result in a total loss…I’m going to edit the post accordingly. Thank you!
also stated in case of large fire, get the emergency kit out of the trunk. Well, if the car is on fire LARGELY, then skip the kit entirely since unless mistaken, isn’t the gas tank almost below but in front a little of the trunk? BOOM! Just get the heck out and stay away period.
mk – Good point. Maybe I should stop giving safety advice…LOL. 🙂
Signal and move immediately to the right shoulder, or right lane. Believe it or not, there are some who think if they drive faster, the wind will blow the fire out.
Stop and shut the vehicle off and get everyone out and away from the vehicle – preferably 150 feet or more. Dial 911, so the dispatcher can notify the fire department.