[Fire_victim]

Hi there,

Yesterday I drove my girlfriend in her jeep to the beach. On the way home I stopped on the highway and noticed some smoke. 15 minutes Later the wrangler was a pile of ashes. I have no idea why a perfectly good well cared for and well serviced vehicle would burst into flames. Since then I have noticed a lot of this has happened before. I had no idea. We are lucky to be alive. Does anyone else have any experience with this in Australia? I am quite distraught and today I couldn’t drive myself to work. Please be careful if you own one and invest in a small fire extinguisher....

 

[john_1750]

Man, so sorry.

Any idea where the fire started?


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[leroybrown]

That why you have insurance! Just a fact of life, all makes and models are prone to go up in smoke. If it has fuel in it, it can burn 🔥 Even the total electric vehicles burn to the ground. Thank God you was not in an airplane ✈ They can even burn at home sitting in the garage unattended!

 

[cthusker]

Always carry fire extinguisher in every vehicle I've owned. Simply another insurance policy I hope never to need imo. Glad everyone was ok and not injured. Vehicles catch on fire all the time for many different reasons so for the cost of a good extinguisher it's foolish not to carry one imo.

 

[Main Line Willys]

Did you open the hood against the windshield frame or did the fire push it up?

 

[ceads9]

So sorry to hear about that. But like you said at least you're both okay and like the other person said you have insurance, but that being said there's not really a history of any of that.
Eads

 

[Old Dogger]

Welcome to the Forum, from Cave Creek AZ.

OMG..THAT IS JUST HORRIBLE, REALLY SORRY TO SEE THAT...

 

[Silentfoe]

Crazy. Had an Instagram friend whose Jeep burned yesterday. Gut wrenching I'm sure.

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[Morris4x4Center]

Wow! So sorry to you and your gal! I'm glad you noticed it soon enough to get out to safety. These things can happen to any car and can be for the most random reason. I had a buddy with a 2 door jk with the same situation. The investigation never came up with any cause. Just absolutely random.

-Julia

 

[Kaio]

Always carry fire extinguisher in every vehicle I've owned. Simply another insurance policy I hope never to need imo. Glad everyone was ok and not injured. Vehicles catch on fire all the time for many different reasons so for the cost of a good extinguisher it's foolish not to carry one imo.

View attachment 4474751

Mine has big one (industrial grade) mounted at the back roll bar like yours, and another one (smaller size) right under my from seat. I saved a minivan (a Mom & her baby) caught on fire when I was younger (37 year old) in Alabama. Since then I always carry one.

 

[cthusker]

Mine has big one (industrial grade) mounted at the back roll bar like yours, and another one (smaller size) right under my from seat. I saved a minivan (a Mom & her baby) caught on fire when I was younger (37 year old) in Alabama. Since then I always carry one.

I always have the ELEMENT extinguisher forward by front passenger seat for quick access. I don't use the dry powder because sometimes they do more damage to your electronic then the actual fire! Of these are more expensive but believe it's worth the extra cost should the unexpected ever happen.

 

[Lloydrage]

glad you guys are okay, crazy is just randomly started

 

[jwt873]

I add my condolences.. Sorry to hear.

Man that's low mileage for a 2014 Wrangler.. 34,000 km is a touch over 21,000 miles or 4,200 miles per year or 350 miles per month. It makes it even worse to see a vehicle in that condition written off..

 

[rgreen65]

If you stop and think about the flammable fluids in the engine compartment - gasoline, oil, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid and transmission fluid all it takes is the right conditions, a leak and a hot exhaust. A pin hole developing in a hose under pressure and hitting the exhaust pipe or exhaust manifold and disaster.

Many decades ago, I was up at my University registering for the next semester classes while driving mom's one year old '63 Ford Galaxy 500 when I noticed smoke from under the hood. I stopped in front of one of the campus class room building (the Trigon at Texas A&M) and opened the hood to see flames coming out of the air filter. I ran into the building and grabbed a fire extinguisher (I knew the building) and put it out. The car was still driveable and drove home. It had done some damage to wires and the carb, but not the hood and the car didn't go up in flames.

All of our vehicles are subject to this. The Jeep community is probably better about carrying fire extinguishers, but every vehicle should have at least one. It might have saved the Jeep in this situation. As it is with the extensive damage, it is unlikely anyone can figure out exactly how it started.

 

[TerryC6]

It is stories like this that made me added my BlazeCut system. Inexpensive and the hope being if it cant' put the fire out it gives me time to pull over and get out myself.

 

[USStrongman]

Hate to be that guy, but couldnt drive yourself to work and are a victim? OK then. Sorry about the BBQ.

 

[deepbluerubi]

Hate to be that guy, but couldnt drive yourself to work and are a victim? OK then. Sorry about the BBQ.

I always thought "Crocodile Dundee" was based on a true story?!

 

[ModernDayMuffler]

Sorry to hear about that man! I'm glad you are okay and now I'm thinking of getting a fire extinguisher (probably should have had one by this point anyways)
Hope you can get it replaced and stay safe!

 

[Old Syko]

Hate to be that guy, but couldnt drive yourself to work and are a victim? OK then. Sorry about the BBQ.

Hmmmm. The only thing that really stood out in this story.

 

[USStrongman]

Its like guys that have a bad experience with a part for their rig and then tell you to never do business with that company ever. When in reality, when you tear into it, the vendor never gets a say in what happened and 100 others on here never had an issue with tat vendor or part. One sided and mroe importantly, they post once, lie above, and never come back.

A 6 year old rig. The OP gives us no sense of what could ahve happened, aftermarket parts, maintenance, etc. Fuel line cracked and spewed? Being in Aussieland with uber high temps and all of the fire issues they have had, rubber and plastic maintenance are imperative.