r/Firefighting • u/AffableEffable • May 17 '25
Ask A Firefighter Is This Retired Firefighter's Claim About Putting Out a Car Fire Correct?
Hi, I ran into this discussion on twitter, and most people in the comments were really mad at the ELBainter person (who claims to be a retired firefighter). I know absolutely nothing about any of this, so I was curious: are they right and the people there are just stupid, the opposite, or something in between?
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u/Bandicoot_Crashed May 17 '25
The only time I’ve seen a car saved after an engine compartment fire is at the race track.
And even then, I’ve only seen it on older, carbureted cars where the carbeurator backfires and it usually sets the air filter on fire.
Anything else, as others have said, is pretty much a lost cause and can be really dangerous to get close to for a number or reasons.