Luton Airport Car Park Fire

[Nessie]

Considering the regulations about vehicle construction and use of fireproof materials, those cars burned well.

 

[Vixen]

Maybe when Vixen gets back, they can clarify that they've rejected the CT hypothesis, and lay the matter to rest.

It wouldn't be the first time someone here reported on a conspiracy theory, for the purpose of pointing and laughing at it.

As I know nothing about cars (my son recommended my current car) I was interested to understand what happened here. It is all very well for people to say, 'Most car fires are petrol or diesel', without providing any meaningful statistics. Do they mean that of all the cars on the road 'most fires are found in the category that are the majority' or have they adjusted for type, age and mileage, bearing in mind 99.9% of cars on the road would be petrol/diesel so of course show the most occurrences of catching fire. The other meaningful parameter would be 'type of fire'. The social media commentators have IMV made a good point that the location of where the 'explosion' of what appears to be a Land Rover is coincides with where one might find a lithium battery, as in an EV or a hybrid (under the passenger side floor). The other salient point they make is the nature of the 'fire', pointing out that diesel fires come with thick black smoke and they could nto see any, plus the speed of the combustion.

The other thing that interests me is that from initially saying it was an EV - I dare say based on an assumption - reports began to say 'we believe' it was a diesel car. Then the Bedfordshire Police 'confirmed' it was a diesel car. Here's the interesting thing: they haven't told the public the make and model of the car involved.

So of course there is speculation, and I would argue that speculation is quite normal and indeed, in the public interest, because if it was a lithium battery fault - because that is what it looks like to the public in the know - then that has implications on how car parking is constructed and arranged for the future, together with the implications on insurance costs. People are entitled to want to understand the risk factors.

 

[Vixen]

From the Beeb:

What caused the fire at Luton Airport today?
It is thought the fire started with a diesel-powered vehicle "and then that fire has quickly and rapidly spread", said Andrew Hopkinson, Bedfordshire's chief fire officer.2 days ago

What caused the Luton Airport fire and what happens next?

BBC
https://www.bbc.com › news › uk-england-beds-bucks


Did they not ask the driver?

 

[zooterkin]

As I know nothing about cars (my son recommended my current car) I was interested to understand what happened here. It is all very well for people to say, 'Most car fires are petrol or diesel', without providing any meaningful statistics.

See my first post in this thread.

Then the Bedfordshire Police 'confirmed' it was a diesel car. Here's the interesting thing: they haven't told the public the make and model of the car involved.

Do you have a reason to believe the police are lying?

 

[Vixen]

So now LONDON EVENING STANDARD is speculating:

Do electric cars catch fire? Social media points fingers at EVs for Luton car-park blaze
Following the fires in a car-park at Luton Airport, theories have been circulating on social media that it was caused by an electric car. But how true are these theories?

https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/electric-cars-catch-fire-evs-luton-car-park-b1113029.html

 

[Vixen]

See my first post in this thread.

Do you have a reason to believe the police are lying?

You said your son who is a fire fighter said most car fires are diesel. Do you have an exact citation that the car involved in the Luton Airport fire was definitely a diesel model and not a hybrid or EV? Not looking for 'reassurance', looking for a fact.

 

[zooterkin]

You said your son who is a fire fighter said most car fires are diesel.

Please quote where I said anything remotely like that.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Here wevp

See you in 500 pages.

 

[Vixen]

Here wevp

See you in 500 pages.

Perhaps you are unaware of the meaning of the word, 'forum'?

So complain about it. Get the topic removed as not being to your liking.

 

[GlennB]

You said your son who is a fire fighter said most car fires are diesel.

Not even close :

EVs are the least likely to catch fire (hybrids are the most likely), but if they do burn, there isn't much the fire brigade can to to put them out (according to my son, a firefighter).

 

[Jack by the hedge]

Someone else has identified the car from its number plates as being a diesel 2014 Land Rover sports model.

Well there you are then. If you have the number plate, gleaned from some video, you should be able to confirm that yourself, perhaps by googling the car's MOT status or history. That's public info.

It couldn't be an EV as they didn't make one, but could hypothetically have been one of their earliest hybrid models. But if the fuel type has been confirmed then that's that. Right?

I mean, unless everyone's lying to us and Luton airport doesn't really exist.

 

[Vixen]

Well there you are then. If you have the number plate, gleaned from some video, you should be able to confirm that yourself, perhaps by googling the car's MOT status or history. That's public info.

It couldn't be an EV as they didn't make one, but could hypothetically have been one of their earliest hybrid models. But if the fuel type has been confirmed then that's that. Right?

I mean, unless everyone's lying to us and Luton airport doesn't really exist.

He claims to have deciphered the car plate number but I think he had to guess some of it. Another person claims the car is in fact a Land Rover Hybrid Evoque, which does have a battery just below the passenger seat area. All this is guesswork and specualtion.

Why can't the police or fire brigade just let the public know what model and make it was. The driver escaped uninjured so it is not as if they have no idea.

I have checked, and the statement it was a diesel is preceded by the words, 'We believe...' or 'It is thought...'

Surely they must know?

 

[Jack by the hedge]

If you checked, why don't you know whether the wording was 'we believe' or 'it is thought'? Surely you must know.

Its all very well your coming here and saying we believe the wording was it is thought, or it is thought the wording was we believe, but why can't you just tell us what the make and model of the words were? Seems suspicious.

 

[junkshop]

It would appear that I was wrong.

 

[Jack by the hedge]

It would appear that I was wrong.

And me. Seems the entertainment value of contrarianism is irresistible..

 

[zooterkin]

I'll ask again, since you appear to have skipped my post.

How on earth did you manage to think that this:

You said your son who is a fire fighter said most car fires are diesel.

was an accurate summary of this:

EVs are the least likely to catch fire (hybrids are the most likely), but if they do burn, there isn't much the fire brigade can to to put them out (according to my son, a firefighter).

?

Edited by sarge: 

removed uncivil content

I fail to see how anyone could, in good faith, misread a single sentence so badly.

I did not mention diesels at all, and my son's comment was clearly about putting out fires, not the frequency of fires with any types of car.

 

[GlennB]

Yeah, and yet again we're seeing Vixen totally failing even to acknowledge, let alone correct, factual errors she's made along the way.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

Don't be silly, everyone else must be wrong.

 

[theprestige]

As I know nothing about cars (my son recommended my current car) I was interested to understand what happened here. It is all very well for people to say, 'Most car fires are petrol or diesel', without providing any meaningful statistics. Do they mean that of all the cars on the road 'most fires are found in the category that are the majority' or have they adjusted for type, age and mileage, bearing in mind 99.9% of cars on the road would be petrol/diesel so of course show the most occurrences of catching fire. The other meaningful parameter would be 'type of fire'. The social media commentators have IMV made a good point that the location of where the 'explosion' of what appears to be a Land Rover is coincides with where one might find a lithium battery, as in an EV or a hybrid (under the passenger side floor). The other salient point they make is the nature of the 'fire', pointing out that diesel fires come with thick black smoke and they could nto see any, plus the speed of the combustion.

The other thing that interests me is that from initially saying it was an EV - I dare say based on an assumption - reports began to say 'we believe' it was a diesel car. Then the Bedfordshire Police 'confirmed' it was a diesel car. Here's the interesting thing: they haven't told the public the make and model of the car involved.

So of course there is speculation, and I would argue that speculation is quite normal and indeed, in the public interest, because if it was a lithium battery fault - because that is what it looks like to the public in the know - then that has implications on how car parking is constructed and arranged for the future, together with the implications on insurance costs. People are entitled to want to understand the risk factors.

There's no need to speculate. Fire officials have already said it wasn't a lithium battery fire.

 

[Vixen]

I'll ask again, since you appear to have skipped my post.

How on earth did you manage to think that this:


was an accurate summary of this:
?

I did not mention diesels at all, and my son's comment was clearly about putting out fires, not the frequency of fires with any types of car.

I do apologise for not memorizing your earlier post. Perhaps it is a good idea to quote what you are referring to because posters seldom have the time to search for older messages. OK, I accept your son was referring to putting out fires and it was someone else who pointed out the relative incidents of car fires according to type.

ETA: I note the statistics on the site linked that:

Hybrid vehicles actually come in number one with the most fires per 100K sales. Gas vehicles are second, and electric vehicles place third, with only 25 fires per 100K electric vehicle sales.

Based on this data, electric vehicles don’t catch fire nearly as much as the news claims. Hybrid cars seem to be the most dangerous for fires, followed by gas vehicles.

But one wonders whether the age and mileage of the vehicles were taken into account, as newer vehicles aren't expected to show wear and tear as much as older ones.