The car – parked for a week while its owners vacationed - smelled powerfully like a vineyard when they returned. An unopened can of grape soda left in a cup holder had baked under the intense summer sun, exploded, and sprayed the interior with a fine coating of sweet liquid. The can lid was hinged back completely, suggesting the violence of the sugar rush.
“They were lucky it was a non-flammable fluid,” says Bob Hillier, President of Paul Davis of Greater Houston, Texas, who lives in a state that’s very familiar with extreme temperatures. “If they had left paint or a can of aerosol cleaner, they might have returned to a toasted hulk of metal that used to be a vehicle. Summer comes with some surprising hidden fire hazards.”
Hillier warns customers about some odd but dangerous fire risks of the warm months:
Refrigerators and freezers in hot garages: When compressors work continually to combat high ambient temperatures around them, they can overheat and ignite.
Air conditioning unit extension cords: Extensions cords that are not designed to carry the required electric load heat up quickly and cause fires. Air conditioners themselves become fire hazards as they age: when motors work harder, they, too, may become too hot for safety.
Stored paints and chemicals: Chemicals exposed to direct sunlight in summer heat can cause a fire. Paints and fuels have exploded in some cases. Further, stored dirty rags – particularly if they are soaked with solvents, paints, cleaners or oils - are at risk of combusting even in comfortable temperatures.
Yard and pet waste: Dry clippings and pet waste won’t spontaneously combust but they will burn briskly if accidentally ignited. Pet waste releases high levels of flammable methane as it decomposes, which feeds flames.
Aging mulch piles: Anyone who composts organic waste is familiar with the warmth that the percolating material generates. If the pile is large enough, it may spontaneously combust. Mulch purveyors are very familiar with this tendency. They store mulch in modest piles and space them to prevent a fire in one from spreading to others.
And when it comes to fiery items in cars? Some of the hazards seem downright surreal. “News organizations recently warned people against leaving water bottles in hot cars,” Hillier says. “Apparently the plastic and water, left in direct sunlight, may focus the sun’s rays like a magnifying glass and heat up nearby materials. Imagine, water can cause a fire! But the overall message is one to heed: be careful of unusual fire risks in summertime.”