Why do cars catch fire after a crash?

Yesterday my bro had a car crash no one was injured but after about 30 minutes the car started to smoke the police tryed to put it out but he couldn't 5 mins later the car was completly on fire and soon blow up, but why does a crash make a car catch fire.

Sorry about Spelling

Answers:
Sorry about your bro - but glad no one was injured.

Well the obvious answer is that cars run of petrol / diesel which is highly flammable, and possible when the car crashed something broke which allowed petrol / diesel to leak. If this was to leak onto the hot engine / exhaust it could well ignite. or possibly as it was so delayed maybe some electric wiring got damaged in the crash that causes the battery to over heat??

Could be many reasons but not all crashes result in fires.
gas and the oil.
According to the TV show Mythbusters, usually they do not explode after a crash. An explosion is the exception rather than the norm. I guess lots of fuel can be released from damaged fuel tanks after a crash, and it then forms a flammable vapour as it starts to evaporate. Any stray spark in the right vicinity could then cause an explosion if the fuel vapour/air mix is just right.
gasoline and oil and electrical sparks
was it a renault clio..? mine, (51 reg) did exactly that too.. and the drivers seat flew back when some ****** hit me in the rear.
'safety feature' renault said.. dodgy if you ask me. cheap seats.. but if i was in a 20 year old car, i might not have got out without a scratch though..
The first answer was pretty conclusive on the matter, but you should check the make and model of the vehicle anyway, it may be a known fault with it.

Most modern cars have safeguards to prevent going on fire and blowing up. such as fuel cut outs to prevent fuel leaking on to hot engine manifold.

Chjeck it out, your brother may be due some compensation.
The only thing I can think of is that after the crash some gasoline started to leak and caught fire by coming into contact with the exhaust manifold which gets extremely hot or maybe a spark from some grounded wires in the engine compartment.
Heat, metal, sparks and fuel cause fire. The impact might have damaged the fuel tank causing fuel to come in contact with heat, spark from an electrical short which would ignite the car .
I just finished A first aid course and we were told very few cars catch fire nowadays with new technology ect. Your brother was just unfortunate hope everyone is ok
cars catch on fire in several ways main one fuel leaks and the electrics shorting to earth.
I'll side with " Inquisitor ".
hi .you probably had a fuel leak or some kind of electrical short.or both.

The answers post by the user, for information only, UKQnA.com does not guarantee the right.

  • im about to buy a car, obviously i will haggle, but what extras should i push for?
  • CAN I USE MY DAD'S SAT NAV IN MY car?
  • bluebell railway or watercress line, which is best??
  • could anyone tell me when valve clearances for a 2000 sv650s have to be checked?
  • does using the air conditioning in a car use more petrol?
  • Do you think when you reach the age of 65 you should re-take your driving test?
  • Citroen C5 gears are sticky/sloppy coming out of 5th when cold, can't get neutral. Any thoughts?
  • When will the current Jaguar X-Type be replaced??
  • how do i advertise my car for sale?