One day I was driving along a country road when a dump truck approached from the other direction dripping fire.

I signalled him somehow, headlights and waving him off road, and he pulled over and shut off the motor.

It had evidently just begun. (He said it had had some work done on it, and they evidently left a gas line to the carburetor loose.)

He popped the hood and he and I scooped sand up from the side of the road and threw it on the flames, which were in the valley of the big V-8 around the carburetor. (Air cleaner was on it so we didn't get any into the motor.) I scooped by hand and he ran and got a shovel, then it was quickly out. No fire extinguisher in his vehicle or mine.

He was just the driver.

It probably would have soon stopped the truck as it would have burned thru the rubber gas line, but by then it also would have had a pretty good start and he might not have caught on to what was up soon enough to do anything, if he was motivated to try.

As it was I think after they cleaned up the sand and put a new gas line on it it would have been fine again. Not even any paint or wiring burned.

Used to happen a LOT more often when cars had carburetors, usually on old ones people had been working on.

If you catch a car fire early you can probably beat it out with a jacket or shirt, without getting burned except maybe scorching your hands, as long as you keep them moving. Of course not if it's around the gas tank. The owner of my favorite junkyard told me when he was young they routinely burned out all old cars, because the scrap buyers only wanted the metal. Always, with the gas still in them. They NEVER exploded the way cars in the movies do.

posted by 71.173.6...

• Saab on FIRE, Julie, Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:54:02
  • flames began shooting through the Saab’s shifter column, john_gonzo, Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:40:18
  • Re: Saab on FIRE, Joeychess, Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:05:10
  • That was a bit painful to watch, Arabiflora , Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:39:34
    • THAT'S whi I don't drive a Jaguar, Ian Scott, Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:08:57
      • Re: THAT'S whi I don't drive a Jaguar, Arabiflora , Thu, 17 Mar 2011 22:18:22
        • Re: Extinguisher, Saabnutt, Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:40:04
          • I once helped save a guy's burning dump truck., RayF, Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:53:09 <-- Viewing This Message
          • two of them: one in the cabin + one in the trunk (n/m), Siegfried, Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:58:30
    • Re: That was a bit painful to watch, RadioFlyer, Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:37:33
  • Re: Saab on FIRE, CBS , Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:38:32
  • DUDE!, ZAAB , Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:06:38
  • Re: Saab on FIRE, RadioFlyer, Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:05:26
    • Re: Saab on FIRE, Son of Saab, Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:43:06
      • Re: Saab on FIRE, poop deck pappy , Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:41:13

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