We often come across vehicles catching fire, especially in the sub-tropical climate of India. Especially with summer temperatures gradually rising and heat waves engulfing major parts of the country, it becomes imperative for vehicle owners to take precautionary measures to prevent fire and other unfortunate incidents.
Recently, we covered a report of a Mahindra Thar catching fire in Rajasthan. Let us look at five potential fire hazards that should never be kept inside a heated car for a long duration.
Cigarette Lighters
Cigarette lighters, or gas lighters, are highly flammable items that should not be left inside a car during hot weather.Cigarette lighters have iron components inside making them highly susceptible to bursting under high temperatures. This is likely to damage car windows and leave burn marks on car seats.
Gas Aerosol or Spray Cans
Gas canisters are extremely dangerous and even a small aerosol can could lead to a potential fire threat. Even when the car is moving during high temperatures, the friction can cause the gas canister to explode. When the temperature inside the car rises, the pressure inside the spray can can quickly increase.
If the pressure exceeds the limit that the can can withstand, the spray can may explode and cause a fire or even an explosion. On the other hand, gas leakage from the canister in any closed space such as a car cabin will turn it into a bomb ready to explode any time.
Perfume Bottles
Many Indian car buyers have a practice to install car perfume bottles or dispensers on the top of the dashboard or centre console. This is a very dangerous practice which could lead to potential fire. Perfumes have a substantially high alcohol content which evaporates in exposure to direct sunlight. This not only degrades the perfume but the gaseous alcohol trapped inside the vehicle is highly inflammable that could ignite the car.
Sanitizers
Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, car owners like to carry sanitizers to keep the dashboard, steering wheel, and other surfaces free from germs. However, like perfume, sanitizers also have a high content of ethyl alcohol which makes them a potential fire risk.
Batteries
Batteries are a major cause of fire in India. No wonder electric vehicles are so susceptible to catching fire. That said, even combustion vehicles also carry batteries which not only help with the ignition of the car but also power internal accessories and lighting. Such batteries are well protected and encased to keep them away from direct sunlight.
However, people have the habit to leave gadgets like mobile phones, power banks, etc. inside the cars which are equally dangerous fire proponents when brought under direct sunlight for prolonged hours.
