High temperatures cause spate of car fires
A spate of car fires caused by high summer temperatures has prompted a safety campaign by the Ministry of Interior.
On Wednesday, a car burst into flames after its engine caught fire in the Hadath area of Umm Al Quwain. Firefighters put out the blaze. It was suspected to have been the seventh car fire in the emirate in the past few weeks.
Col Hassan bin Sarm, head of the UAQ Civil Defence, urged motorists to carry out regular checks on their cars, especially during the summer.
Yesterday, a 27-seater bus was gutted by a fire on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. The driver said he sensed something was wrong with the vehicle and told passengers to get off, police said.
Experts said fuel leaks, old and poorly maintained cars, loose cables and old wires can result in car fires.
“The first and most major cause is a fuel leak, fuel leaking from a fuel pump, fuel lines or tank,” said Sergej Korogodin, general manager of ZNZ Garage in Dubai.
“Fuel, and especially fumes, are highly flammable and a cigarette butt or even high temperature can start a fire.”
Mr Korogodin said the most common cause of vehicle fires is an overheated exhaust system.
The Ministry of Interior’s Civil Defence department has posted videos on Instagram explaining ways of preventing car fires.
Civil Defence said leaving flammable material and aerosol cans in a car can cause fires.
Flammable objects that can easily catch fire in the car include fuel, oil, rubber, plastic and the interior fabric.