Fire
So... my car caught on fire while I was at work last night.
I guess. It went like this:
I always take the trash out just before I go home, if it needs it. When I do, I walk past an area where the security guards sit, and I can see the large screens where their security monitors feed. Last night, at about 10:00, I saw a fire truck out there, and a car with it's hood up. The car looked grey (mine is blue) so I thought, "Oh, no, someone's car is in trouble." But I took the trash out, came back in, and gathered my stuff to walk out the front door.
As I was walking out, other people coming in were asking the front guards what was going on, and I heard one say, "Some car caught on fire or something, the fire department had to come put it out," and I had the sinking feeling that it was my car.
Sure enough. I get out there to where I parked as the fire truck was just leaving the gate, I have three different types of police patrols out there, and my car has it's hood up and is covered in the white fire extinguisher powder. Which is why I thought the car on the screen was grey.
The MPs told me that a security guard had seen it smoking, from far enough away to cause alarm, so they called the fire department, who came and told everyone to park somewhere else while they dealt with it. They broke the driver's side window to unlock the door, I think, and look for a hood latch. Unfortunately, my car has long since had it's hood latch wired to the outside under the front carriage of the car, because the inside latch was broken. They didn't know this, of course, so pried the hood open by force, and put out the fire/smoke/whatever.
So, I stayed while the security guards made a report, called a wrecking service (it's a pain the ass to get a tow truck into a secure area, let me tell you), and cried on the phone to my mom. As I was out there waiting, two people stopped to ask if I was okay, and one of them was my friend's husband, and he offered to give me a ride to work (and my appointment just before hand). Luckily, the tow truck guy drove me home, put the car in the driveway, and I have a continued tow scheduled for Monday so I can take it to whatever mechanic/auto electric place can fix it.
Mom is supposed to be calling the insurance company today to see what is covered, and we'll know more then. The tow truck guy recommended an auto electric place, so I called them and might actually be able to have someone come out to the house and give me an estimate as to the cause/cost, which would be great.
The only damage I can see, besides the nasty stuff from the fire department's efforts, is that the fan belt is broken, and the positive battery cable was disconnected. But I don't see any scorch marks or anything anywhere. We figure it was electrical because the police said it was grounding itself out - all the dash lights were on, and when I went to retrieve my things, the trunk button and automatic locks didn't work. Maybe I'll just have to have the electrical harness replaced, but... *sigh*
And as my friend mentioned, so soon after having my engine replaced... I'm going to be sure I find out the cause, in case it's somehow related to something they did/didn't do. Just in case.
A view from the front.
And the other side.
The hood.
Up close on the grill.
The insides.
The fanbelt, having come off - perhaps from the force of the fire extinguisher?
Or...
... maybe not?
The positive battery cable is disconnected - by the fire department?
Bottom of hood latch.
Close-up of top of hood latch.
Showing the evidence of a pried hood, part one
And part two
Driver's side window, and glass that remains
There you have it. Evidence of my crappy night.
I guess it could have been worse, in the sense that something could have gone wrong as I was driving, and at least someone was around to notice the smoke before the (fire) hit the gas tank.
But, still. I just spent nearly $2000 replacing the engine, and was going to replace the power steering pump myself. Why does my car hate me?
Edit: I'm just checking the HTML codes right now, will finish posting pictures when I'm sure it's correct. Done.
I guess. It went like this:
I always take the trash out just before I go home, if it needs it. When I do, I walk past an area where the security guards sit, and I can see the large screens where their security monitors feed. Last night, at about 10:00, I saw a fire truck out there, and a car with it's hood up. The car looked grey (mine is blue) so I thought, "Oh, no, someone's car is in trouble." But I took the trash out, came back in, and gathered my stuff to walk out the front door.
As I was walking out, other people coming in were asking the front guards what was going on, and I heard one say, "Some car caught on fire or something, the fire department had to come put it out," and I had the sinking feeling that it was my car.
Sure enough. I get out there to where I parked as the fire truck was just leaving the gate, I have three different types of police patrols out there, and my car has it's hood up and is covered in the white fire extinguisher powder. Which is why I thought the car on the screen was grey.
The MPs told me that a security guard had seen it smoking, from far enough away to cause alarm, so they called the fire department, who came and told everyone to park somewhere else while they dealt with it. They broke the driver's side window to unlock the door, I think, and look for a hood latch. Unfortunately, my car has long since had it's hood latch wired to the outside under the front carriage of the car, because the inside latch was broken. They didn't know this, of course, so pried the hood open by force, and put out the fire/smoke/whatever.
So, I stayed while the security guards made a report, called a wrecking service (it's a pain the ass to get a tow truck into a secure area, let me tell you), and cried on the phone to my mom. As I was out there waiting, two people stopped to ask if I was okay, and one of them was my friend's husband, and he offered to give me a ride to work (and my appointment just before hand). Luckily, the tow truck guy drove me home, put the car in the driveway, and I have a continued tow scheduled for Monday so I can take it to whatever mechanic/auto electric place can fix it.
Mom is supposed to be calling the insurance company today to see what is covered, and we'll know more then. The tow truck guy recommended an auto electric place, so I called them and might actually be able to have someone come out to the house and give me an estimate as to the cause/cost, which would be great.
The only damage I can see, besides the nasty stuff from the fire department's efforts, is that the fan belt is broken, and the positive battery cable was disconnected. But I don't see any scorch marks or anything anywhere. We figure it was electrical because the police said it was grounding itself out - all the dash lights were on, and when I went to retrieve my things, the trunk button and automatic locks didn't work. Maybe I'll just have to have the electrical harness replaced, but... *sigh*
And as my friend mentioned, so soon after having my engine replaced... I'm going to be sure I find out the cause, in case it's somehow related to something they did/didn't do. Just in case.
A view from the front.
And the other side.
The hood.
Up close on the grill.
The insides.
The fanbelt, having come off - perhaps from the force of the fire extinguisher?
Or...
... maybe not?
The positive battery cable is disconnected - by the fire department?
Bottom of hood latch.
Close-up of top of hood latch.
Showing the evidence of a pried hood, part one
And part two
Driver's side window, and glass that remains
There you have it. Evidence of my crappy night.
I guess it could have been worse, in the sense that something could have gone wrong as I was driving, and at least someone was around to notice the smoke before the (fire) hit the gas tank.
But, still. I just spent nearly $2000 replacing the engine, and was going to replace the power steering pump myself. Why does my car hate me?
Edit: I'm just checking the HTML codes right now, will finish posting pictures when I'm sure it's correct. Done.