Vehicle fire is the second most common fire in Malaysia according to the researches. Most vehicles such as private car, family car, truck is not well-equip with fire fighting equipment. Below are the common causes of vehicle fire:
1.) Car Accidents
Have you ever seen vehicles blazing in flame after collision? Hard collision may cause most car's crumple zone such as engine, battery and fuel tank catch on fire. Although most car's crumple zone is reinforced with thick metal sheet, a huge force could tear this metal sheets apart and causes fuel leakage. The heat from the engine will cause the fuel to start burning instantly.
2.) Maintenance
Many vehicles which did not go for regular maintenance and service is prompt to vehicle fire. Having your car checked is very important especially going for a long journey. Vehicle which has a poor maintenance is dangerous as faulty parts may cause sparks.
3.) Overheating
Overheating of engine may not cause fire directly but overheating of engine may cause the internal fluids to rise to a dangerous temperature. When the internal fluids like petrol is heated up to an extreme temperature, just a small sparks can cause the whole vehicle to be engulf by flames.
4.) Fuel Leakage
If you ever smell gasoline or petrol, get your car checked immediately! This is actually a sign of fuel leakage. Imagine that the petrol leak from your vehicle and landed into hot metal or plastic, it can cause the vehicle to engulf by flames. Simple sparks caused by friction will also ignite the leaked petrol as petrol is turned to gaseous state in a hot weather.
What to do if your car catches on fire?
1.)If you smell something burning when you are driving or seeing smokes coming out from your car hood, turn on your hazard lights and pull over safely to the roadside.
2.)Turn off the engine immediately after pulling over to stop the fuel from flowing.
3.)If you notice smoke coming out from your car hood, slowly open the car hood and use your car fire extinguisher from at least 1m away. This step is very important as it will prevent your car to be engulfed by flames.
4.) Call your mechanic if you could not identify the source of the smell / smoke.