Jalopnik: Fire

Man Reports Fire Is Hot

Mark Arnold — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:15:00 EDT

This just in: According to the video iReport of a man driving down Interstate 5 in San Diego county, the blazing wildfire just across the highway is indeed hot. The man was earlier told by law enforcement officers to evacuate the area, but evidently his sense of non-appointed iReporter duty called him onward to get a closer look. Thank goodness he did, or we might never know that "Whoa it's hot. I'm the only one on the freeway. Wow. I'm the only one on the freeway. Look at this." Video after the jump.

[iReport]

Stuntman Becomes Human Torch, Tries Out New Uvex Racing Suit

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Stuntman Lutz Duda (with a name like Lutz, he's got to be a badass) provided a demonstration of the protective capabilities built in to the Uvex RS3 fire suit. How? He built a raging fire, put on the RS3 and then sat down in the middle of the fire. At half the weight of the average fire suit, the RS3 meets FIA requirements for protection from 850 degree temps for 35 seconds while allowing for weight in other areas of the race car. We don't know what exactly Duda said ahead of this stunt, but we expect it started out with "Hey guys, watch this!" Release below the jump.

Just 1,100 grams between the racing driver and a blazing inferno Stuntman Lutz Duda tries out the uvex Racing Suit

Petrol is highly combustible and full of energy – when used in an engine which means that racing cars weighing hundreds of kilos can accelerate to speeds in excess of 300 km/h in a matter of seconds. However, on the flip side, the experts including the uvex carRacing team, who specialise in racing equipment, know that in the case of an accident, the same energy in petrol can unleash itself against the driver, causing a blazing inferno within a fraction of a second. A single litre of petrol is enough to generate 9.61 kilowatt-hours of energy - which is equivalent to five ovens set at maximum! Emergency rescue teams can get to a burning vehicle very quickly on the racetrack, but the driver still has to rely on the protective properties of the fireproof equipment they are wearing until the fire has been safely extinguished. The uvex Racing Suit rs 3 not only has FIA certification – it also weighs a mere 1.1 kilos, which is close to half the weight of most comparable racing suits. Even at this low weight, the Racing Suit rs 3 manufactured by the highly experienced Fürth-based company, uvex, boasts impressive protective properties, as demonstrated in the 'hot stunt' performed by uvex carRacing at the IKmedia Experience Days in June.

The fire built specifically for the purpose is blazing with meter-high flames as stuntman Lutz Duda steps out in front of the assembled journalists in his black uvex Racing Suit rs 3 and an fp 2 H.A.N.S carbon helmet. The roaring flames are reflected in the helmet's visor! "There's a huge difference between simply reading the word 'fireproof' or 'flame-retardant' somewhere and actually finding yourself confronted with a wall of fire," explains Simon Sirries, Key Account Manager with uvex carRacing. "The heat given off by a blaze is immense, even from several meters away." While people standing nearby take a step back, Lutz Duda bravely walks into the flames. In addition to the racing suit and helmet, he is protected by suitable underwear, shoes and gloves made by uvex – a perfect modular system that complies with all the latest FIA norms and, what's more, offers perfect body climate and wearer comfort. With bated breath, the onlookers start to count the seconds until Lutz Duda steps back out of the flames. Instead, he sits down in the very heart of the fire, before standing up and walking calmly from the inferno - entirely unscathed. "It was certainly fairly warm in the fire", says the stuntman afterwards in summary. Unlike the shiny, silver fireproof suits worn by firefighters, racing equipment isn't metallic and therefore does not reflect the heat as well, but the racing suit, which is coated with NOMEX® fibres, does its job brilliantly. In an emergency, it is able to protect a racing driver from burns for at least 35 seconds, even at a temperature of 850 degrees. uvex has acquired decades of experience in this field through its development of industrial safety wear, for example for blast furnaces and other dangerous scenarios.

Flame-Shooting Party Bus Cruises Woodward

Mark Arnold — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT

We're not so sure this is legal, but the cops were so busy hassling people doing burnouts that they probably didn't even notice the giant flames spewing into the sky from this party bus. By the sounds of it, we'd guess the fire-spitting mechanism was the sort of rig you'd find on a hot-air balloon, but maybe it was just the bartender doing his fire-breathing routine.

Chrysler Recalling 38% Of Dodge Journeys, Was It Our Video?

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:40:00 EDT

If you purchased a 2009 Dodge Journey with the 3.5-Liter V6 (which is the one you want, trust us), you'll hopefully be getting a call from Chrysler before you have to place a call to the fire department. Apparently, the engine wiring harness is at risk of coming into contact with the left transaxle mount, which could potentially lead to your crossover becoming a cross between a minivan and bonfire. Or maybe it was the condom holder, which actually broke off during filming.

The most depressing part of this whole story comes from an analyst at J.D. Power & Associates who claims it shouldn't hurt Journey sales because owners are so used to minor recalls that they're immune to them. "Quality is job... it's a job for someone... it's a new day." [AutoNews subs. req.]

Adult Swim Raises Bar with V6 and Jet Powered Firetruck

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:00:00 EST

If you've never seen the show, 12Oz. Mouse on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim runs a story line roughly based on intoxication, blowing things up and being as confusing as possible. Not that it makes sense, but we were impressed to see a firetruck with a possibly supercharged V6 in the front, jet engine in the back, skis for wheels and a ghetto blaster on the side in this episode. Your employer may feel differently than we do about a drunk peanut shaped fireman driving a jet powered fire truck into a baby carriage full of alcohol, while swearing, so this might be NSFW. We can't tell, we're confused.

Detroit Auto Show: Fallen Firefighters Memorial Rig

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:00:05 EST

Tucked into a corner of the basement is a 1937 Seagrave Safety Sedan, known amongst fire truck junkies as the Detroit Safety Sedan and it represents one of the more interesting untold stories here at Detroit. When a firefighter falls in the line of duty, there is a longstanding tradition of using a firetruck as the funeral hearse to honor the family and the deceased. The tradition of the final ride has become difficult, as fire trucks have grown in size and height. Seeing the problem, the Detroit Fireman's Fund Association decided to set out to do something about it.

The organization decided the best way to serve the duty and keep operational firetrucks ready for emergencies at the same time would be to set out to purchase and refurbish a classic pumper truck. Seagraves were the predecessor the the later dominant Mack offerings, but at the time the Detroit Fire Department owned about 80% of the Safety Sedans ever made. The example we see here was one of the early Seagraves in the DFD fleet of 87 total.The original chassis has been replaced with a modern one from Mack, and Chrysler was generous enough to contribute a new Detroit Diesel power plant. Nearly four years of labor and dedication have gone into getting the truck to this point and the craftsmanship is unbelieveable. We're sure when it's finished, the hours of hard work from countless volunteers will be well worth the effort. If you'd like to contribute the effort or just want to know a bit more, you can go directly the Detroit Firemens Fund website.

Aussie Hoons Constantly Blowing Themselves Up

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:45:00 EST

Here's a fun statistic for you: one-in-ten serious burn cases treated in Australia are from men tinkering with their cars at home. It's such a serious issue that, according to the Herald Sun, one-in-six victims treated at the Victorian Adult Burns Service in 2006 were careless or unlucky gearheads. Said one young victim "One thing i don't think I will ever forget is the pain. You don't think you can be put through that much and still survive." Yeah, but he's got a totally rad Falcon to show for it.

Actually, the kid in the story was pouring gas into a carburetor of a farm vehicle (maybe a Holden SS V-Series Ute?) when the vehicle burst into flame, causing him third degree burns on one side of his body. We like his outlook though.

"And the smell will stay with me too. It is never going to stop me playing around with cars, but obviously I will be respecting the petrol side of it a lot more."

Well put. [Herald Sun]

Fire At The Half Way Point

bwojdyla — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:26:17 EDT

Right at the halfway mark when I was about to report that all was well, two Porsches tangled going into turn one. A clip led to a spin and eventually the two ended up mating tail to tail and blocking the whole track - that's gotta be embarassing. Everybody get's back on the track under their own power, car 71 pits, and... HOLY CRAP the other car is on FIRE. BIG FIRE. 911 Flambe. Watching it on the teevee I failed to identify that it was just over my shoulder until the fire was mostly out, thus the fuzzy aftermath shot. Mr. "I'm too tough to go in after a fender bender" now has a car that's track toast. Shot of the orangesuits tending to the leftovers and standings at the drop of the green are after the jump.

LMP1
1)Piro
2)Capello
3)Graf

LMP2
1) Dumas
2) Dyson
3) Leitzinger

GT1
1) O'Connell
2) Gavin

GT2:
1) Melo
2) Long
3) Dumbreck

How To Set A Ford Taurus On Fire With Your Cell Phone Charger

Ray Wert — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:30:00 EDT

Apparently it's as simple as plugging your cell phone charger into the electric socket and well, we'll let frequent Jalopnik tipster Buckster explain what happened:

"I borrowed a friends car yesterday so I could get some work done on mine. On my way home from the mall I decided to charge my cell phone. The moment I plugged in my charger a zap and some smoke came from behind the stereo, within 25 seconds flambes and melting plastic engulfed the entire dash I pulled over and bailed out with just enough time to grab my new sneaks and my rented dvd. The best part was having the tires explode and the gas tank rupture when I had the owner on the phone. By the time the fire trucks arrived the car was toast. On the brite side there is one less Taurus in the road. So anyway that was my monday night."

Pictures below. UPDATE: Buckster was using a Motorola Q with an aftermarket Verizon charger. Also, it looks like the Taurus was involved in a flood.

Man Stops For a Cig, Burns Up 11 Junked Cars

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:29:21 EDT

Forty-two-year-old Brian Hudson of County Mayo, Ireland apparently had a few pints and went to nick himself a new exhaust system for his car out of a junkyard. In the middle of the night. In a bout of wrecking-yard frustration, he paused for a cigarette, which he lit by lighting a piece of paper with a lighter he found in a car and then utilizing said burning paper to light his fag (we have no idea why he didn't just use the lighter). He discarded the piece of paper in the car, which then caught fire. Then the police showed up. Hudson ran, 11 cars burned. Remember, kids, you never know what can be flammable in a junkyard! – Davey G. Johnson

Man set 11 cars on fire 'by accident' [Independent, IE]

Dozens Of New Cars Destroyed In Los Angeles Warehouse Fire

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:00:00 EDT

On a certain level, there is little as beautiful as Los Angeles burning. Be it actual fire, Ed Ruscha's work or the end of Miracle Mile when the ICBMs are coming over the Hollywood Sign, we find the destruction of the City of Angels to be gorgeous. Very Oedipal, we know. That said, 53 cars – mostly Chryslers and Lincolns – were tragically incinerated Sunday right across the freeway from where Griffith Park went up in flames. Up a few miles from Dodger Stadium and across the river (yeah, we have a river) sits an industrial section of Atwater Village. All of the dealers in Glendale use this part of town as an overflow facility for new cars. The cars are kept outside next to dilapidated warehouses. One of which caught fire and destroyed 53 cars. Embers from the blaze ignited dry palm tress half a mile away. It must have been quite a sight. Thanks to the Mike Meadows for the image. – Jonny Lieberman

Warehouse Fire Destroys Nearly 60 Cars [cbs2.com]; Fire Destroys Dozens of Cars and Vacant Building in Atwater Village [lafd news & information]

San Diego Arsonists Apparently Unhappy With Toyotas

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 25 May 2007 17:30:00 EDT

Four cars in the neighborhood of UC San Diego were torched last night. All four vehicles were apparently Toyotas, and two of them, a current model-year Tacoma and Corolla, were completely destroyed. Investigators note that the only accelerant used appears to be gasoline. Man, once disgruntled French auto executives move into the neighborhood, all bets are off, apparently. – Davey G. Johnson

Cars set ablaze in San Diego neighborhood [San Jose Mercury News]

Related:
More French Cars Up in Smoke [Internal]

El Passat En Fuego? VWs Could Go Up in Smoke

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:30:00 EDT

We have a friend who drives a Passat estate car. She lovers her some Volkswagen and lives in one of those unfortunate subdivisions where you're not allowed to park your car in your own driveway. Now if one parks one's car on one's own property, if it goes up in smoke, no harm done other than some scorch marks on the homeowners'-association-mandated impeccably-maintained concrete. If, on the other hand, a modern Passat is such an eyesore that it must be kept garaged, many thousands of suburbanites are bound to start worrying. Apparently, VW is investigating reports of coil-pack-oriented fires on '00-03 gas-engined Passats — other than the W8 — in conjunction with the NHTSA. 19 fires have resulted so far and, the folks at VeeDub could face a recall involving around 350,000 cars. Ouch. – Davey G. Johnson

Volkswagen investigated after fires [AZCentral via Autoblog]

Related:
Volkswagen to Recall 790,000 Cars. Oof. [Internal]

Save The Dikes! Ferrari 599 Burns In Holland

Ray Wert — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:25:43 EDT

Here's what we've gotten from our tipster on the above and below pictures. As we don't speak Dutch worth a damn, we're going to have to go with WT on this one until we hear otherwise. He's telling us:

"Yesterday in Holland a Ferrari 599 just burned spontaniously...They were standing at the traffic-lights and then they saw some flames passengers are oke...The car was in the Dutch Ferrari 60 Relay 2 day's ago also."

All we know is we've seen a lot of spontaneous car combustion as of late in Europe. Although wait — I don't think any of those ones we saw back in January were "spontaneous." – Ray Wert

Ferrari 599 GTB in de hens [Autogespot.com]

Fire! Ford Super Duty Afterburner Mayhem!

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:58:44 EDT

Screw the recall. Ford should offer an afterburner kit on all its Super Duty pickups. What better way to tell GM and Toyota the blue oval is not to be trifled with than a column of flame shooting from its tailpipe. Extra special bonus for gunning it next to a saw mill or propane distribution center. [Thanks to William for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli

Honda Civic Causes California Forest Fire

Ray Wert — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:30:00 EDT

This past week's been a rough one in the drought-stricken hills southeast of Los Angeles, what with the big 3-square-mile fire damaging a few homes and buildings. Although it's now fully contained, it still managed to tear up a 1,005-acre swath of fiery destruction through Riverside County. What could have caused such a destructive force. Let's find out:

"A stolen Honda Civic that was set ablaze sparked a wildfire that threatened houses in the hills southeast of Los Angeles and forced hundreds to temporarily evacuate, officials said Monday."

Damn you Honda, and your damnable easy-to-light Civic! – Ray Wert

Burning Car Blamed for Calif. Wildfire [SFGate.com]

Man + Car + Power Line = Man On Fire

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:30:00 EST

A New Jersey man was backing his car out of his driveway when one of his tires hit a downed power line and caught fire, forcing him to decide whether he should risk being electrocuted or being burned to death. When he jumped out of the car, which is something most of us would have done, he apparently got a dose of both. Thankfully, the rubber tires on the car may have prevented a serious shock and police and power crews were in the area and were able to extinguish the man and call for help. Unfortunately, the man is still in critical condition and his son witnessed the whole thing. The local power company isn't commenting, though it sounds suspicious to us that they weren't able to cut the flow going to the line.– Matt Hardigree

N.J. Man Set Afire By Power Line [WCBS-TV]
Video [WCBS-TV]

Fonctionnement! Fonctionnement! Sauvage dans les Rues! 400 Cars Torched in France

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:30:00 EST

Yawn. Another new year, another 400 cars set ablaze in the former land of the Frankish kings. However, the LA Times reports that the mayhem quotient was down from last year, when surly youths attacked trains. And while we doubt any '64 Valiants were involved, we wouldn't be surprised if numerous handfuls of valium and copious quantities of beer were. – Davey G. Johnson

Cars set afire in holiday violence [LA Times]

Related:
A Riot of Our Own: How to Torch a Car [Internal]

Blow Up Your Video: Refueling Problems

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:00:00 EST

We noticed that whenever we touched a Ferrari at the LA Auto Show, it shocked us. We're glad that we weren't charged with refilling their tanks on the show floor. We're also glad we weren't putting gasoline in this Grand Cherokee. [Thanks to Scotto for the tip.] – Davey G. Johnson

Fates Smite Vetteamino!

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:00:00 EST

Reader Nelson sent in a bit he found on corvetteforum about a poor sap whose C4 pickup was randomly engulfed in flame. Could Zeus, the Skipper too, the Millionaire and his wife, the Movie Star and the rest be cracking down on the random Caminoization of vehicles, thus forcing a worldwide re-introduction of the El Camino? In one way, we kind of hope so. From another angle, though, it would leave us short of material. – Davey G. Johnson

Just lost my 'Vette pickup through fire [corvetteforum]

Related:
More El Caminos! [Internal]

Long Island Corvette Z06 Has One Last Smokey Burnout

Ray Wert — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 16:44:29 EST

Oh man, talk about a shitty day. That's what the owner of this lovely red Z06 Corvette had yesterday over in Long Island, the day after having a new exhaust installed on his car. In fact, we'll let skelzy of M3Forum.com tell the tale, with a gallery of his pics below:

So I'm chillin on my way home from work today when all of a sudden a red vette passes me on the right shoulder and its ON FIRE! I'm like " Holy Sh*t, I gotta see this" so i follow him about a block and he pulls into a goodyear tire store near my house. As I pull up I realize its the new Z06. WOW. I pull up and the owner is out of the car and watching it being consumed in flames...

[Corvette Z06 Up In Smoke Gallery]

"...right in front of him. The guys at goodyear come running out with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire, or so they thought. I asked the owner if he was ok and he said yes. He said he heard something from underneath the car on the highway but didnt realize it was on fire until he exited, which is when he passed me. I asked if he was beating it or what? He said no, but the dealer recently installed a new exhaust on the car. I was like "ooohhhhh"! Just then, the goodyear guys started yelling at us to move away because it was on fire again. This time it spread quickly and I really thought the gas tank was gonna explode. Then, the local fire dept. arrived and started dousing the car with the fire hoses. I mean DOUSING! The fire chief walkes over to us and tells the owner that the car is gone and not salvagable, but they would try to be as careful with as they could. As soon as he said that, the firemen went to work on the car with pic-ax and heavy ax. They smashed the trunk window and started to pull off the body work with the ax's. I personally am not a fan of the vettes, but it was heartbreaking to see this beautiful Z06 being torn apart after it has just burned to the ground. I asked the owner if he minded if I took a few pics and he said not at all."

Well dude, maybe you should have gone to the dealer — 'cause man, I somehow don't think that's covered under GM's new 100,000 mile warranty thing. – Ray Wert

New Z06 catches fire next to me! (Pics) [M3Forum.net via Autoblog]

Burn, Miami, Burn: Film Prop Cars Up in Smoke

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:30:00 EDT

We sort of don't care much for Florida, we think. Besides the DIY rock 'n' roll hotbed of Gainesville, it simply just doesn't appeal to us. Sure, we dig the houses on stilts out in the Keys, but aren't they demolishing those or something? So when we heard that a warehouse full of prop vehicles, including examples used on CSI: Miami and in the Miami Vice film went up in a puff of soot by a fire apparently caused by a flareup in a dustbin, we kinda just went, "Pffft." And then we felt guilty because somebody's livelihood just turned to ashes. So we did a post to ameliorate our feelings of callousness. – Davey G. Johnson

Fire destroys flashy prop cars [USA Today]

Related:
Hogan Knows Fire: Wrestler's Lamborghini Burns [Internal]

Video De Un Lambo En Fuego in San Jose!

Ray Wert — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 08:15:00 EDT

Ah, the wonders and joys of YouTube. With anyone and everyone now becoming a citizen journalist, we're able to capture our every moment of joy, love, tenderness and of course, lamborghini's on fire. Yup, that Lambo we reported as catching on fire the other day out in San Jose, we've now got video. That's part one above, with part two, featuring San Jose's bravest taking on the flames, below the jump.

Related:
Lambo En Fuego in San Jose!

Lambo En Fuego in San Jose!

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:45:00 EDT

Okay, fine, "en fuego" is Spanish for "on fire" rather than Italian. But "Gallardo" is Spanish, as is "San Jose." Heck, the Spaniards even named California. And while "Oakland" and "Athletics" are certainly of the English lexicon, some A's-type's girlfriend was cruising around San Jose in her man's G-Spyder when the thing pulled a Spinal-Tap drummer and spontaneously combusted. More toasty-roasty 'Ghini doused by the water spout after the jump. [Thanks to April for the tip and photos. Additional info may be e-mailed to us or posted in the comments.]

Related:
Two Months, Two Ferrari Up in Flames [Internal]

The Kid Did It: More On Hulk Hogan's Burning Lamborghini

Ray Wert — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:57:12 EDT

We've been updated on the mysterious flambe incident involving what we thought was Hulk Hogan's Lamborghini Diablo VT. It seems it was the Hulkster's not-so-Hulkish son, Nick...it also seems it wasn't Hulk's Lambo. That actually makes sense as we're not so sure he can afford it, unless that reality tv show starts to make some major bank. But, according to a post on supraforums (where we've been told little Nicky's a member) the following's the real story:

"the car was cecile barker's-the owner of sobe entertainment (the label to sign my sis) i drive some of his exotics weekly to keep them running, this lambo hadnt been driven in 3 years so cecile has a guy change the battery and says its fine to drive, so im driving it myself and im head to bal harbor when i noticed the gauge cluster died and im like wtf, and almost seconds after that i smelled electrical fire and by the time i pulled over the back end of car was on fire and i called 911 and tried to find a fire extinguisher but no luck and by the time the fire truck got there the car was totaled. anywas ill post my phone pics of the car on fire later"

So there you go. The kid did it and it wasn't his fault. Luckily he was smart and quick enough to take camera pictures of the fire — because that's like step one in "What to do when your Lambo catches fire." Wish we had remembered that one when we posted on those Ferraris going up in flames. [Hat tip to Mike]

Supraforums

Hogan Knows Fire: Wrestler's Lamborghini Burns

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 17:29:14 EDT

Lamborghini's Diablo VT was a successor to the iconic Countach. VH1's "Hogan Knows Best" was the successor to the iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan's exceptional ~~acting~~ wrestling career. (Take a guess which one will be the butt of the jokes in this post.) It seems Hogan's Diablo VT recently went up in flames, as is the wont of some rear-engined Italian sports cars. It's not clear who was driving, or what the circumstances surrounding the incident were, but the car may have been piloted by Hogan's son (we'll call him "Josh" — even though his name's "Nick"). One thing we do know is that, according to photos by the Miami Herald Hogan's wife Linda has quite substantial calves and the ankles of a longshoreman. And that the car's toast. Otherwise, it's anyone's guess what might have transpired.

Hulk Hogan's car catches fire on Bay Harbor Islands [Miami Herald]

Related:
More Flamin' Ferraris! [internal]

Ferrari Flambe: Two Months, Two Ferrari Up In Flames

Ray Wert — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:06:04 EDT

We hate it when we're driving the Ferrari home for the first time and it catches fire, like what happened to this now-poor sap in Dresden, Germany who's just dropped $250,000 (or the German equivalent) on a new 599, just to see it go up in flames on the inaugural drive home. And this isn't the first time we've seen this — it's actually the second Ferrari to go puff like the magic dragon in the past two months, except last time it was an F430 out for a test drive with only 750 miles on the odometer. And although Ferrari says they'll replace it, we've got a more important question to ask:

Buy a Ferrari, use the engine for warming your hands [MotorAuthority.com]

Related:
6000 Scrap Cars Go Up In Smoke [internal]

6000 Scrap Cars Go Up In Smoke

maustin — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:15:25 EDT

The Springfield Tire Yard fire has nothing on this. A scrap yard in Mason City, IA caught fire earlier this morning. Flames shot over a hundred feet into the air and firefighters from four neighboring cities were called in to help. It unclear what was the cause of the fire, as the old cars have their batteries, gas tanks, and tires removed.

Mountain of cars burning at recycle facility [globegazette.com]

They Chahd My Cah in Hahvahd Yahd: Ivy League Parking Garage Goes Up in Smoke

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:26:37 EDT

Dear Thnderblt: We are sorry about this headline. Nevertheless, we couldn't resist. We found it, although juvenile, to be a momentary wicked pissah of a hed. Anyway, there was a fire in a garage at the Soldier's Field parking garage at Harvard Bidness Skool that left about fifteen cars in various states of smoked sausage-age. Authorities are still working to determine the cause, and once the building is deemed structurally sound, owners will be allowed to retrieve their vehicles. Bummah.

Fire chars cars at Harvard Business garage [Boston.com]

Fire in Japanese Factory Cuts Prius Production

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 15:32:38 EST

Count on long lines of disgruntled eco-types at Toyota dealerships in the next couple of months. A fire at 'Yota's plant in Kariya City one of two that builds the hybrid with the hotcakes-esque sales figures downed the plant for a projected week. With the Japanese automaker already unable to fill timely orders for the Prius, the wait's just gonna get longer. On a related eco-note, given that the fire occurred in the paint shop area, we wonder how many toxins were released into the atmosphere during the blaze's rampage?

Fire disrupts Prius production [Automotive News]

Related:
Toyota Recalls 75,000 Priuses [Internal]