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VW Polo in flames: the driver saves himself at the last second!
In the Westerwald district, a VW Polo caught fire while driving. Fire brigade extinguished the fire successfully, no injuries were reported.
VW Polo in flames: the driver saves himself at the last second!
On Thursday afternoon, a driver in the Westerwald district was very lucky: her VW Polo, which was parked on the side of the road, unexpectedly caught fire. Shortly after she jumped out of the car, the car burst into flames. The fire department responded around 4:30 p.m L302 between Berzhahn and Willmenrod, where there was already heavy smoke.
When they arrived, emergency services found the Mazda fully engulfed in flames. An adjacent meadow area was also affected by the flames. The firefighters immediately went into the dangerous situation using breathing apparatus to begin fighting the fire. After about 20 minutes they had the fire under control and were able to put it out. During the follow-up inspection of the vehicle with a thermal imaging camera, embers were discovered that were additionally cooled down with water.
Technical problems as a possible cause
As the Rhine newspaper Reportedly, a technical defect is suspected as a possible cause of the vehicle fire. Fortunately, no one was harmed in the incident and there were no injuries. However, the small vehicle burned out completely and was declared a total loss. The L302 had to be completely closed for about an hour during the firefighting work as firefighters worked to smother the final flames.
In Germany, around 15,000 cars burn down every year, as Wikipedia highlights. When considering smaller damages, the figure is around 40,000 vehicles per year. Vehicle fires can be caused by various causes. These include defective parts, overheating or even traffic accidents. The smoke that is created often contains special respiratory toxins that can be dangerous not only for the occupants, but also for first responders.
Preventive measures and conclusions
The dangers resulting from a vehicle fire are complex: Additional fire risks such as large amounts of smoke can lead to subsequent accidents. Experts therefore advocate basic instruction in driving license training regarding vehicle fires. Some also advocate the obligation to carry fire extinguishers in the car and for automatic extinguishing systems in the engine compartment of larger vehicles.
In summary, it should be noted that it was not just luck, but also quick and committed action by the fire department that prevented anything worse from happening in this case. The police have started investigating the exact cause of the fire in order to be better informed about such incidents in the future.