That careless cigarette...

[LVSteve]

...destroyed 73 cars in the car park of a Texas pumpkin patch. Fear not, no pumpkins were cooked.

Texas Pumpkin Patch Inferno Torches 73 Vehicles | The Drive

 

[bigwheelzip]

Nah, those careless drivers who parked on dry grass destroyed those cars. Been a warning against doing just that, in car owners manuals, since catalytic converters we're added in 1973.


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[Rustyt1953]

From the comment section below the article:

"There's a Judas Priest joke in there that few will get."

 

[FlyTyinFool]

LOL! Rusty nailed it!

(pun intended)

 

[johngalt]

From the comment section below the article:

"There's a Judas Priest joke in there that few will get."

I was thinking Talking Heads.

 

[s&wchad]

That careless cigarette...

Maybe, maybe not...

This is from the article:

It's suspected the fire may have started from a discarded cigarette thrown into dry grass, with the fire marshall's office asking any witnesses to come forward in a Facebook post on Sunday.

It could have been a cigarette, but it also could have been an EV battery, a wiring short, a backfire in an ICE vehicle or a catalytic converter as bigwheelzip mentioned. Whatever the cause, it's a darn shame.

 

[johngalt]

When I lived in Cincinnati, the apartment complex (different building, not mine) had a fire. Windy, dry, someone threw a cigarette off his balcony and into the bushes...and a building with 24 units burned down.

 

[Pef]

Nothing like a good hydrocarbon fire to bring in the holiday season!

 

[desi2358]

I would be suspicious of hot catalytic converters being to blame. When I was on the local Fire Department we had a few runs with fires starting under vehicles (especially during harvest) where the converter was the most likely cause. Once we started one ourselves when the grass caught fire under our rescue unit at a fire scene (oops!).

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

How do you know it was a cigarette ?

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Well, that settles the matter. Death penalty for all cigarette smokers, massive fines on tobacco farmers and cigarette manufacturers. We must save the pumpkin patches!

My knee keeps jerking while I'm lighting up another Marlboro.

 

[Jimmyjones]

In 1978 there was a fire at a benefit concert at Arcosanti near Cordis Junction, AZ. The "parking lot" was a field. One of those new fangled catalytic converter was later blamed for the fire. Bunch of friends lost vehicles that day.

Arcosanti Fire, October 1978 | Flickr

 

[mojave30cal]

Cars caught fire when catalytic converters came into contact
with tall dry grass. Holy smoke!

 

[Step N. Mud]

Cars caught fire when catalytic converters came into contact
with tall dry grass. Holy smoke!

Yes, it has happened

 

[SAFireman]

A very similar thing happened to cars parked in a grassy field at the Houston FD union BBQ

 

[bigwheelzip]

Yes, it has happened

The ignition source matters little. The failure of drivers to appreciate the risk inherent where they parked is the cause. Same happens daily when drivers park on dry beaches, then incoming tide swamps their cars later.
Just situational awareness really.


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[LVSteve]

How do you know it was a cigarette ?

Just quoting the article.

 

[Phish]

If they mowed the grass beforehand then this story wouldn't had happened if it were catalytic converters.. Jokes aside thats a lot of destroyed vehicles regardless.

 

[kraynky]

Sure hope there weren't any family pets waiting in the car for their owners to return!

Being it was in Texas, I'm sure a few good firearms were lost in that blaze too. Glad that there weren't any human casualties.

 

[fordson]

Cars caught fire when catalytic converters came into contact
with tall dry grass. Holy smoke!

That only happen in a church parking lot ……….