When people see or hear that a fire has started beside a highway or road, many probably think that a casually discarded cigarette butt tossed out a window is the culprit.
Not so, says Ashcroft Fire Rescue Chief Josh White. In his more than 25 years of experience with the department, he says that most roadside fires could be prevented if drivers took a few simple steps to make their vehicles more roadworthy, particularly in the hot summer months.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, only 0.8 per cent of human-caused fires in B.C. each year are caused by discarded smoking materials. By contrast, vehicles are responsible for 3.8 per cent of human-caused fires each year.
The numbers don’t surprise White.
“It’s definitely not always discarded cigarettes,” he says of roadside fires. “A very low number of fires start that way, but there are so many things related to vehicles that can start fires.”
On July 20, a fire started in the rear of a motorhome travelling along Highway 1 east of Cache Creek, which completely destroyed the vehicle. On July 23, a fire started in the rear of a motorhome travelling on Highway 5 south of Kamloops, and spread into nearby trees before being extinguished.
In recent days there have also been two semis that caught fire in or near Ashcroft, both of which Ashcroft Fire Rescue responded to.
White says that there are “so many things” that can start a vehicle fire, such as mechanical issues.
“You could have a poor braking system that’s run down to the point of steel grinding on steel, which could cause sparks that end up in tall grasses. It could be a poorly-maintained exhaust system, with the tailpipe trailing on the road.
“Some people have their exhausts set up to backfire, and if they don’t have a spark arrestor they’re running a risk. Or if an oil pan drops out you have steel on steel that can cause a ruptured fuel line.”
Vehicles that overheat are another source of roadside fires. White explains that when temperatures in the engine bay reach a critical point, things start to melt. People need to keep an eye on the gauges in their car and not ignore them, or think that they can make it to the next gas station.
A factor that White wants more people to think about is overloading their vehicles or trailers, and not loading or attaching trailers properly.
“People overload their vehicles beyond their car’s carrying capacity, and most don’t take this into account. If you have a small car with four grown male adults, that’s 800 pounds of human weight in a vehicle that might not be rated for that, plus there might be a ton of luggage.
“If a trailer isn’t loaded properly then the attachment can form a V with the vehicle, and you can get things dragging on the ground creating sparks.”
White says that every vehicle comes with a tag showing gross vehicle weight and maximum capacity. He adds that when an overloaded vehicle is combined with the terrain of the Southern Interior and hot weather, it can lead to trouble.
“People might be travelling over the speed limit, so the vehicle is working that much harder with the load. When the air temperature is around 40 C, the temperature of the asphalt can be pushing 80 to 100 C, and could be hotter.
“People are climbing up Oregon Jack Hill [on Highway 1 south of Ashcroft] with that under the car the whole time, and maybe an overloaded vehicle, but they have the air conditioning on in the car, so they don’t notice the heat. We see an increase in fires when the temperature goes up locally to the 35 to 40 C range. It’s a very real thing.”
White says that there are three main things people can do to reduce the risk of vehicle fires.
“Get the vehicle serviced regularly, because lack of maintenance is a big cause of fire; don’t overload the vehicle; and have a working fire extinguisher in your vehicle. It won’t necessarily put a fire completely out, but it’s good at knocking down a small fire at its onset, and you might be able to protect the surrounding grassland or whatever else might be burning.”
White cautions people, however, to be careful.
“If you come across a vehicle fire and have your own extinguisher, you don’t know what’s in it: propane tanks, jerry cans of gas? If the fire is small and contained in the engine bay, try to extinguish ot if you can, but be aware of hazards and dangers, and stay out of the smoke, which is extremely toxic.”
He adds that it’s crucial to call 911 if you see something burning, as you can’t depend on someone else having called it in. He notes that emergency services would rather have 10 calls about an incident than none.
“And if you’re a driver and you come across emergency services actioning a fire, slow down, stay back, and keep your eyes on the road, not on your cellphone to take pictures. That’s the biggest hazard we have: people not watching what’s in front.
“The times we’re in right now are extremely stressful, so take a breath, be kind to one another, and be vigilant,” he adds. “The faster a call is reported the faster we can get on it and extinguish it before it becomes big. Never assume someone else has phoned it in, just call.”