Here’s a quick refresher on how cars react when they run: they get hot. Really hot. Some might even say burning hot.
Here’s a refresher on how dry leaves react to hot things: they catch on fire. Some might say they burn.
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So, apparently a few people had not really put together these disparate facts, as the St. Louis Fire Department pointed out in a tweet. Apparently, a driver left their vehicle running over a large pile of leaves (it seems that in St. Louis, people generally rake their leaves into the street for the city to collect), which then predictably caught fire.
What you don’t see, due to the thickness of smoke, is the vehicle burning because it was left running over a pile of leaves.
Trust us, leaves are combustible, and WILL burn. Parking a hot/running vehicle over them might lead to a higher insurance premium. #ThrowbackPost pic.twitter.com/MR9RWdu1Qr
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) December 10, 2017
It seems that this is far from the first year that this is a problem, as the Fire Department post included the hashtag #ThrowbackPost and a screen shot of an older tweet, showing a vehicle also burned by parking on leaves.
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Some other tweets about the problem included photos where you can see a minivan burning due to parking on leaves.
Firefighters issue warning after cars parked near leave piles catch on fire https://t.co/yIkJm85Q4J pic.twitter.com/czdAP94K0z
— KMOV (@KMOV) December 11, 2017
So, as we continue to transition from fall to winter, please keep in mind the effects that your car has on its immediate environment, and don’t park on anything flammable—particularly big piles of leaves.
News Sources: Riverfront Times, St. Louis Fire Department via Twitter
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