Hopefully not a members car on here..

[QuickBpBp]

Supposedly happened in New Jersey today.. Saw it on a mopar forum on Facebook..

 

[FitzyB5]

That’s just heartbreaking

 

[beanhead]

Oh God no. What a nightmare.....

 

[BDF6]

BUMMER! I hope some of it is saveable.

 

[threewood]

That is terrible. I hope the fire was put out before it took everything.

 

[dadsbee]

Why I've never tightened a negative battery cable since 1979....

 

[Jeff Peterson]

Don’t know if it would of helped, but all our cars have fire extinguishers.

 

[Roger63]

This was yesterday about 30 miles north of me. I only saved 1 picture as there were 2 almost identical cars involved. I think they were chevelles.

 

[toolmanmike]

Damn! I hope he has good insurance.

 

[KiwiKid72]

Rear-ended by a Tesla probably.

 

[Dave6T4]

I used to be in a rural volunteer fire department. I lived so close to the hall that I was usually the guy rolling the pumper out. In my experience, by the time the fire started, the F.D. was called, and truck arrived, the car was toast. Carry a fire extinguisher and a 1/2" wrench for the battery cable.

 

[WileERobby]

Carry a fire extinguisher and a 1/2" wrench for the battery cable.

This is quicker

 

[Cojohnso1]

I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread. Bummer

 

[Thrashingcows]

Why I've never tightened a negative battery cable since 1979....

Not quite as long as you but I started leaving my battery cable connections loose enough to pop off in an emergency around 1990 after an electrical short and fire in a 1981 Dodge Caravelle. I make them just tight enough to push down and a 1/4 turn and they are snug....never had a problem in over 30yrs of doing this.

 

[Under Pressure]

Why I've never tightened a negative battery cable since 1979....

I’ve just been learned “before” the lesson.
I have a new habit starting today
Thank you

 

[Triplegreen500]

This is quicker View attachment 1453032

I have these on all my "toy" cars, mainly for off season battery draw but this is another excellent reason.

 

[chargervert]

Judging from the smoke billowing from the dash area,I would assume that the 54 year old ammeter gauge gave up the ghost!

 

[HawkRod]

Sad to see. I know I am making a lot of assumptions based on the picture, but my guess is the fire is electrical rather than oil/fuel related due to where the fire is burning.

This is why I get on my soapbox about electrical systems. People don't give the electrical system in their car the care and attention it deserves. They throw in a high power alternator, perhaps cobble together some high power electrical fans, high power radio and other stuff. There is nothing wrong with adding this stuff, but it needs to be done carefully and with full understanding of the power that is being put through existing wires.

 

[moparedtn]

Pray everyone was ok, first off....
Damn, that is so heartbreaking to see. It's only natural to picture yourself in a similar predicament...
Makes me glad I've had my instrument cluster out on the bench before and I did all the connections
and such when reinstalling it.

I know all about the ammeter thing on our cars, but mine looked great on the backside, works perfectly
and the wiring is good to it, so I'm not concerned since I don't run anything aftermarket on the car.
Oh - and I don't leave anything "loose", either.
Battery connections don't need to be overly tight to begin with, only clean and snug - and if you have
any strength in your hands/forearms, that cable can be "wrenched" off in an emergency as a result.

 

[OKDart]

I have these on all my "toy" cars, mainly for off season battery draw but this is another excellent reason.

What's the quality like on those? I've been thinking about using them, but they look cheap.