CHAPTER XXXIII

DON’T RUN AWAY FROM A FIRE

Whatever may be the cause of a fire in your automobile, do not run away from it. Stay and fight the fire. Often the utmost haste is needed in getting out of the car when a fire starts, but on the way out grab the fire extinguisher and turn to use it. Do not be afraid that there will be an explosion and run. There will be none, and if you work fast you may save serious damage to the car. Keep your head and fight.

The presumption is that you will have a good extinguisher on the car. Two would be better and more in keeping with a high-priced car, both placed where they can be gotten at instantly, for gasoline fires spread mighty fast. The causes of fires have been pretty well discussed in the preceding chapter, and the fact that care will prevent all but a negligible percentage of fires. Back-fire, for instance, may be made harmless by placing over the air intake a screen of wire gauze, such as is used in a miner’s safety lamp. To prevent shutting off some of the air and deranging the carburetor, the screen should be much larger than the opening of the intake. It can be made in bulb shape and clamped, soldered, or wired in position, and it ought not to require more than average gumption to fit such a device on any carburetor. Make sure it is safety gauze.

There are several forms of gaskets advertised for this purpose, but all so far noticed were to go between the carburetor and intake and are too likely to cause condensation of the gasoline to be recommended for use. Particularly in cold weather would there be a likelihood of condensation of vaporized or partly vaporized gasoline. But with the wire-gauze screen above described the sting of back-fire will be gone, as no blaze could pass through it and so reach the gasoline fumes which might be in the drip pan.

One cause of fire not often mentioned because of its rarity, would be from sparks from the magneto or generator brushes, or from the breaker points which might be hot enough to ignite gasoline fumes and therefore are to be guarded against.

Since gasoline fumes are heavier than air usually the magneto and generator are set high enough to be above the danger point; and where the magneto is between the cylinders on the V-shaped installation, there would be no danger. On marine engines, however, high installation is being featured lately to offset this very danger.

If, after all precautions are taken, you are visited by fire, stay to fight it. Get only far enough away to escape being burned, and then fight and fight hard. Work the fire extinguisher for all it is worth, for in less time than it takes to read this page the fate of your car will have been decided.

Get out of your head, first of all, the idea that there is to be an explosion. It doesn’t happen. The first puff from the burning gasoline is the nearest thing to an explosion you will see. After this first puff, it is fire, not explosion, you need fear and fight. Tanks will not explode unless empty of gasoline, or nearly so, and filled with gasoline fumes—that is, vapor and air mixed. Water is little good in fighting an automobile fire where gasoline and oil are burning.

There are several things, however, which will quench the flames, and which should be at hand. If you could get sand and salt in sufficient quantity on the flames it would be effectual, but of course one could hardly carry a sufficient quantity along. There are also tube extinguishers filled with a dry compound, which under favorable circumstances will do the trick. But the trouble is to get the compound at the seat of the fire, and to throw it violently upon the flame is impossible.

There is one thing, however, which will actually put out a gasoline fire, and it is such a safeguard that no owner can afford to be without it. That is the carbon tetra-chloride compound, which is the basis of all liquid extinguishers on the market. This, discharged close to the seat of the flames, forms a dense smoke-like gas which has no oxygen to feed the fire, which therefore goes out for lack of fuel. There are many good extinguishers on the market which use the carbon tetra-chloride mixture with other ingredients to keep it from corroding the pump, or to add some other quality to the compound. These extinguishers cost more than the dry compound tubes, but the man who can afford to own a car can afford to have the necessary appliances for its protection. One may never have occasion to use the fire extinguishers, but it is nice to know that they are ready if the emergency does come, for there isn’t always a fire department handy, and if there is, generally the firemen arrive after the car is doomed.