Luton car park fire

[Buckman]

Terrible fire and feel sorry for people arriving back from their holidays to find their car destroyed. Apparently there were no sprinklers in the car park, but even if there were I don't think they would have been of any help.

At the moment although it is mainly speculation, it seems that the vehicle that started the fire looks like a Range Rover or Discovery however some sources are stating it was a diesel vehicle. Looking at the video of the fire it seems that the fire was too intense for it to be a diesel vehicle which casts doubts if it was a diesel? Using diesel to start a fire is very difficult. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67077996

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Call me a pessimist but I don't believe it was a diesel that was responsible.
Much more likely to have been an electric car and they are trying to hush it up.

 

[Buckman]

Call me a pessimist but I don't believe it was a diesel that was responsible.
Much more likely to have been an electric car and they are trying to hush it up.

Could have been a hybrid, but at the moment media are stating it was a diesel car? I am also thinking that if sprinklers were fitted and started spraying surely any burning diesel or petrol would float on top of the water causing any further issues a lot quicker?

 

[RogerL]

Call me a pessimist but I don't believe it was a diesel that was responsible.
Much more likely to have been an electric car and they are trying to hush it up.

There's plenty of fake news and conspiracy theories elsewhere on social media - PC forum needs to remain real.

 

[Buckman]

There's plenty of fake news and conspiracy theories elsewhere on social media - PC forum needs to remain real.

The Luton car park fire was for real in case you missed the news and which is why the thread is in Chit chat?

 

[RogerL]

The Luton car park fire was for real in case you missed the news and which is why the thread is in Chit chat?

My comment was in reference to Mr Grumpy's post - it's the suggestion that it was an EV which started the fire and that "they" are trying to cover that up. There is a fake news and smear campaign going on regarding EV fires by some who oppose their introduction.

 

[Buckman]

My comment was in reference to Mr Grumpy's post - it's the suggestion that it was an EV which started the fire and that "they" are trying to cover that up. There is a fake news and smear campaign going on regarding EV fires by some who oppose their introduction.

As said, it could have been any sort of vehicle and not necessary a diesel, petrol or hybrid.

 

[trevormonty]

Both diesel and petrol need a leak and ignition source to start a fire. Extremely rare for car that is turned off to meant these conditions.

 

[otherclive]

Both diesel and petrol need a leak and ignition source to start a fire. Extremely rare for car that is turned off to meant these conditions.

You get heat sources from a DPF undergoing a regeneration when the car is stood still. My Skoda would continue regeneration with the ignition switched off. You could smell the heat underneath the car. I would restart it a go for a drive.

 

[Buckman]

Both diesel and petrol need a leak and ignition source to start a fire. Extremely rare for car that is turned off to meant these conditions.

From the video it appears that the car has not yet parked? I think with diesel you can spill hot diesel on an exhaust and it will probably not ignite? Different story with petrol.

 

[Hutch]

There were recalls on JLR evoques.

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE - ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT - Car Recalls UK

✅ LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE ( 04/07/2016 - 10/10/2016) DEFECT: It has been identified that the engine wiring harness of the 2.0ltr engined

car-recalls.co.uk

 

[Hutch]

From the video it appears that the car has not yet parked? I think with diesel you can spill hot diesel on an exhaust and it will probably not ignite? Different story with petrol.

Diesel fuels generally have a flashpoint between 52 °C and 93 °C. Therefore, diesel fuels with a flash point below 60 °C are classified as flammable liquids and those that have a flash point above 60°C are classified as combustible liquids.15 Mar 2023

https://blog.storemasta.com.au › die...

Is Diesel Flammable Or Combustible? - Storemasta Blog​

 

[Buckman]

There were recalls on JLR evoques.

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE - ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT - Car Recalls UK

✅ LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE ( 04/07/2016 - 10/10/2016) DEFECT: It has been identified that the engine wiring harness of the 2.0ltr engined

car-recalls.co.uk

looking at the video although difficult to be sure, however looking at the rear I don't think it looks like the Evogue but more like a normal RR or Discovery.

 

[Ukdave2002]

From the video it appears that the car has not yet parked? I think with diesel you can spill hot diesel on an exhaust and it will probably not ignite? Different story with petrol.

When petrol leaks on to a hot exhaust manifold it simply evaporates because of the high flash point. In my classic car world, old carburettors frequently sit above the exhaust, dripping neat petrol on to the manifold, the normal complaint being "poor fuel consumption" ! I have seen brake fluid on an exhaust ignite.

In most cases of vehicle fire the "source" fault will be electrical, be the vehicle petrol diesel hybrid or electric, but we shouldn't speculate on the cause this fire...

I do feel for the folk it has affected, I was listing to one couple interviewed, who firstly had their flight diverted, then had a £300 taxi trip to Luton, only to find that their car had been destroyed, then realising that amongst the other personal possessions in the car were their house keys

 

[Dustydog]

Latest is it was a diesel car. The point of ignition not yet declared.

Some idiot yesterday said it was a Lithium Diesel car. Is there such a thing🤔

 

[Hutch]

looking at the video although difficult to be sure, however looking at the rear I don't think it looks like the Evogue but more like a normal RR or Discovery.

Look at the rear lights of the car in the video. Then at this Evoque.

 

[Hutch]

Latest is it was a diesel car. The point of ignition not yet declared.

Some idiot yesterday said it was a Lithium Diesel car. Is there such a thing🤔

Someone might have retro fitted a Lithium battery, they do retro fit them to motorcycles.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I feel for the people affected by this fire. We must be very thankful that no one was caught and seriously injured by this fire. Compared to what's happening elsewhere in the Middle East and Ukraine, the fire is inconvenient and nowhere as deadly.

As soon as I saw the repots of the fire, I wondered how long it would take for someone to try blame an EV for this.

Call me a pessimist but I don't believe it was a diesel that was responsible.
Much more likely to have been an electric car and they are trying to hush it up.

You forgot to also blame the collapse of the carpark on the weight of the EV's!

Strangely enough the official interviewed on the TV talking about the fire made it very clear the suspicion was a diesel car, and this has now been reconfirmed.

 

[otherclive]

It seems that it was a Range Rover diesel at Luton and a Land Rover in 2017 that destroyed 1600 cars at a Liverpool multi storey car park. I sense a theme developing here 😂

 

[Mr Plodd]

From the video it appears that the car has not yet parked? I think with diesel you can spill hot diesel on an exhaust and it will probably not ignite? Different story with petrol.

Actually you are 100% incorrect!
As an apprentice mechanic many years ago the chap I was apprenticed to showed me.
He poured a drop of petrol onto a really hot exhaust manifold, it sizzled but DIDNT ignite. He then put a couple of drops of engine oil on the exhaust and that caught fire! He then poured some petrol into a suacer and then (to my horror) dropped is burning cigarette end into it, and it was extinguished!!
Petrol is highly flammable but its the vapour that burns not the liquid, and that has a very high flash point. That's why it needs a spark or a flame to ignite. Oil (which is what diesel is) does not produce flammable vapour but has a lower flash point, that's why a very hot surface can ignite it whilst a spark cannot.

N.B The auto check doesn't like the word f-a-g end

 

[Buckman]

Thanks as said I did not really know. I know for a fact that splashing diesel onto a fire it does not ignite so I based my assumption on that.

I am not familiar with the mechanics of a diesel engine, but I would think it unlikely that diesel could fall onto a surface in the engine bay hot enough to ignite it?

 

[RogerL]

Thanks as said I did not really know. I know for a fact that splashing diesel onto a fire it does not ignite so I based my assumption on that.

I am not familiar with the mechanics of a diesel engine, but I would think it unlikely that diesel could fall onto a surface in the engine bay hot enough to ignite it?

Diesel from a leaking injector could easily drip onto the exhaust manifold, which would be hot enough to ignite it - a split fuel hose could be even worse as the pressure in a common rail diesel is around 2,000 bar - that's about 29,000 psi!

 

[otherclive]

Another excellent combustible is brake fluid. In crashes the cause of a subsequent fire can be brake/clutch fluid.

 

[Ukdave2002]

I wonder what the insurance position is if the source of the fire can be clearly identified to have originated from a single vehicle?

Will everyone else be able to claim off the vehicle at fault insurance , thus saving their excess payment and possible NCB erosion?

 

[Buckman]

I wonder what the insurance position is if the source of the fire can be clearly identified to have originated from a single vehicle?

Will everyone else be able to claim off the vehicle at fault insurance , thus saving their excess payment and possible NCB erosion?

Any claim would also involve the owners of the car park and then we are talking many millions for repair work etc. Cost of replacing cars will be small fry in comparison as most cars will probably have been more than a year old. Normally in the first year insurance payment is the cost of a new replacement vehicle.