Cars and the Cali fires...could the cars be saved by moving them?

Does it do any good to put the cars in the road, rather than parked in the driveway next to the garage...or worse yet, inside the garage?! Everytime there's a big wildfire, I always see these pics of burned cars parked in the garage or next to the chared house foundation, but the streets often look untouched.
Also, can you guys drive your cars to a big parking lot or something? I realize businesses, strip malls and schools are probably burning too, but we keep hearing about houses and neighborhoods being leveled, rarely commercial districts strip malls, big shopping malls, parking garages, etc. It'd be better to get the car out of impound for being towed from a parking lot than having it torched. And are they really going to have time to tow it when the city is burning?
I'm just wondering out loud, not trying to be a dork from somewhere else saying "Why don't y'all just do this..."
I know the fire fighters probably want the roads cleared, but damn, even if they push it up onto the curb with their fire truck, it would be salvagable.
I was thinking about this because I've heard fire chiefs on the news talking about cutting shrubs and bushes down that are next to the houses, etc. One guy said houses that don't have plants and shrubs in front of them have a much better survival rate. I've also heard that the burning embers blowing will catch the house roof on fire. If the car is parked in the street, at the edge of the driveway or away from a structure (but not in the grass), wouldn't there be a better chance for it surviving?
Someone else also posted earlier saying he'd push his car into the pool...It's funny to say, but the idea has merrit, doesn't it?! I could see doing that, and following it with some of my 2x4 intakes, '57 Fuelie heads, 9-fin Corvette valve covers, my antique Snap-on tool chest, etc. etc. Even if the water gets hot enough to boil, so what? (I remember reading about the great wildfire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and people were jumping into wells and getting boiled)
This isn't to say protecting heirlooms, pictures and such isn't more important, but let's face it--we're all car guys (and girls) because cars are our passion. If there's time and a plan to move them, could they be saved? For instance, some guys on here have said they've been told to prepare for evac...when you get that word, drive the vintage car to the highschool parking lot on the other side of town, then go back and sit tight at home.

-Brad

 

Having moved to the land of the hurricane, the car, computer stuff and the cats go first. After that it all depends on time...

 

The heat generated by a wind backed fire is tremendous. If you look at the film, often the cars that are burn out are sitting on the brake rotors. The aluminum wheels have melted to puddles. A car parked in the street 50 feet from the house would probably go up anyway. But these fires can be quirky, like a tornado, and take one house and leave the one next door not even singed. The only way to save a car is get it the hell out, or park it in the swimming pool.

Kurt O.

 

Don't worry, you'll see plenty plenty of burned up old car and hot rod photos before this season of fires is done.

A massive car evacuation would have been doable if everybody knew when and where the fires would strike, but this situation looks like a no-win situation, everybody loses.

 

not a bad idea really.

 

I like to see the cars saved as much as the next guy, but, if a fire that was a mile away was suddenly just up the street and I had 5 mintes to get myself and anything I could take with me out, the car would probably not be high on the list. Frankly, I'm not sure I would even think about it until me and my family was sitting at some rescue mission, after it was way too late.

Part of the problem in CA right now is they really don't know where that "safe" place is. Some areas that were thought to be safe a couple days ago are now in danger. Gene

 

i was watching the fire coverage on CNN this morning. as the reporter talked the camera panned over to a car in a col-de-sac, a VERY clean looking 35 ford sedan!!! the owner had backed it out of his garage into the middle of the col-de-sac. his house was a total loss but his car only lost the front passenger tire. good foresight.

later jim

 

Just a guess, but I would assume that a lot of fire victims probably thought their house would be spared....then the fire shifted and they lost everything.

Remember too, when officials ask for an "evacuation"...they probably are not too accomodating to the guy who says "I need to go back and get my CARS out of harm's way".

 

fuck the cars!! just get out.a car can be replaced.my buddy at work just lost everything.and the last thing he cared about was the cars and bikes.

 

Personally, I'd be dragging a car on my towbar with a bunch of shit inside if I had to. But like has been said, the fires are very hot and very quirky - even if the fire doesn't actually get to the car, the heat could cause it to burn or explode and then it doesn't make a difference. If you have the time to pull it out in the street, I suppose you could try it, but who has that much advance warning?

You might be better off making sure the homeowner's insurance will a: cover for wildfires, and b: cover vehicles left on the property -

 

I live in an area of San Diego that has not been hit this week. That said, you can go up and down the streets in my neighborhood and see trucks, RVs, boats, and RV toys parked bumper to bumper...it seems that many owners did not want to lose their vehicles and came to safer ground to park them.
Most of the idiots you see on the news are people who didn't heed the warnings to evacuate, they had plenty of time but chose not to leave or to move their possessions out of harm's way. As for parking on the streets in a fire area, it may help put some distance between the car and the fire but now you have the issue of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. I have seen many a vehicle pushed out of the way by a fire truck...getting to the fire comes first, your car on the street will go if it's in the way. Some of the areas here in San Diego county have narrow roads and no room for street parking. On the evening news last night, Brian Williams was here and broadcasting from the fire area. There was a car at the end of a driveway but still had burned. In fact, there was a molten river of aluminum that had flowed from the rear wheel down the driveway where the alloy wheel had melted. That really gave me a good feel for how hot these fires really get.

 

Of course I agree with getting out alive as being the main priority. EVERYTHING can be replaced or forgotten with time, except people.
If the firemen come and say "Get the hell out! The fire's coming down the street!" then hell yes; kids, pets in the car, go like hell. I'm talking more about guys like have posted here and said "We've been given a voluntary evacuation order" or "We know the fire is just a mile away." In a situation like that, I was wondering about putting the cars in the street or at the bottom of a driveway. And that question's been answered, somewhat. I'm probably thinking longer driveways, not the short little ones common out there. And the owner of the car in the cul de sac did exactly what I was thinking about.

Thanks,
-Brad

 

I've never been in this type of situation but of course at this point we all are sitting back and wondering what we would do in this situtation. I have no kids or pets to worry about. Big Olds is my most prized posession. I can't imagine I would leave him behind. He would be the car I drove out of there filled to the brim with family photos and stuff. The daily driver could burn to the ground.

Just FYI, homeowners insurance does not cover any vehicles what so ever except for those used to maintain your property like a tractor or riding lawn mower.

 

I'd rather fix water damage than fire damage anyday... drive/push that sucker into the nearest pool, and deal with it later.

.............Unless it was my ride out of the fire of course.... haha!

 

Planning ahead for earthquakes and fires probably saves more property and lives than any last minute decision making.

Best insurance when living around here may be to install a trailer hitch on your driver and for your 'Money Pit' have a two-wheel dolly ready to go at any moment.

Looking at the fires burning down wind, that is exactly what's going through my mind, right now.

I NEVER trust insurances and at least to me, my rides are unique and irreplaceable.
Dealing with massive repairs or getting some refund wouldn't quiet do it.

 

Five years ago there was a fire here in Durango that burned 80,000 acres and lasted 5 weeks! The fire started less than a mile from my house. Because we have acreage, we were able to park almost 30 collector cars and hot rods in an open field. Some of the rag tops suffered burn marks on the tops and ashes were all over. I have two 10HP honda pumps with 400 feet of 1-1/2" hose and fire nozzles on standby. We were lucky. 25 miles east of us, a collector parked a dozen cars on the shore line of a lake and firestorm came through and burned then as well as turning them upside down.

TV pictures don't even begin to show the real horror of a fire.

We have a list of things to take, a fireproof gun safe for valuables and important papers as well as cat carriers.

 

I lost my 47 Chevy convert to a fire. There was nothing salvagable. It was a devastating experience to go through. I can't even begin to imagine losing my house like that. My heart goes out to everyone.

 

50 foot flames racing toward your house with 40 MPH winds make you adjust your priorities in a hurry.

 

I live in Huntington Beach and it is just gross here right now. I too saw a car on the local news last night. Can;t tell you what channel but my stomach turned when I saw what looked like a 49 Ford truck burning in the back ground. There are so many Travesties being caused by this disaster. I was supposed to drive my roadster to Simi Valley Sunday and opted for the Tahoe due to the winds. I am so glad as the burning debree from Malibu was already everywhere. Wish us luck!

 

Realizing of course that possessions take a back seat to lives,I was wondering yesterday why some enterprising person or company couldn't perhaps come up with some kind of fire proof ,heat retardant blanket that you could cover your vehicle with.It might be difficult to engineer something that would more or less work and be affordable,again,realizing ,that the temperatures can get quite high.It would sure be a lot easier to deal with a damaged vehicle than a "crispy"one.Again,thinking along these lines,how about a small underground bunker to store non replaceable documents and such in.A buried job site or truck tool box might even work.
I can't even imagine the losses ,both physical and emotional associated with these fires.My sympathies go out to all the victims.
V7 (Steve)

 

See, right there--that's what I'm talking about. How about a tow bar that stores on the wall...fab up some brackets and a bar, and then the next time something like this week comes along, when you hear there might be flames the next town over, or they tell you to start making plans about what to take, throw those brackets on, bolt the tow-bar up and be ready to hitch and go when you get the word.
I'm not trying to monday-morning quarterback...I'm just big on planning ahead. We get tornados in this part of the world...In my basement, I've got a storage box with a flashlight and batteries, emergency blanket for each of us, first aid kit, a little cash, some playing cards, toilet paper, matches, a container of Fast Orange, underwear, clean socks, a pocket knife and a couple other little things. And the dog's crate. When the alarm goes off (and it has a few times since we've been here), the box is near us in the basement, so if we go upstairs and there is no more upstairs, at least we've got a few essentials. Same with hurricanes when we were in Florida. I think about those towns that get completely wiped off the map by a tornado...where there is no way out for the whole town, so they're all stuck there and have to fend for themselves for a few days.

That's the kind of discussion I wanted to generate...for next year, if you guys in Cali go through this again, have a plan that includes getting your prized vehicles out with you when it comes time to haul ass. If you can drive the family sedan out of the danger area, you can flat-tow your project car behind it, if you've got everything set and ready to go.

-Brad

 

Tow bar .... I like that idea !

Who needs a tow dolly, if your car has a bumper?

I get one today.

 

a bit of o/t, but why do the insurance companies insure houses in a repeatedly burning area. we have these types of fires every year. some bad, like now, and some not so bad. it seems like the same areas each year burn. another thing i was thinking about is, since the water will lose alot of pressure if every body turns on their hoses to fight fires, why not require homeowners, in these type of areas, to put in 5000 gallon tanks, pumps and generators, like farmers due to water their crops, to fight these fires. they could put sprinklers on the roofs and on the sides of the houses to keep them wet. yea i know, it would cost the homeowners money and they would have to maintain it, so it would work when needed and i don't imagine it would save all the houses, but it could save some.

 

That is why some of the insurance companies are requiring homeowners in burn areas to have brush and vegetation cleared a certain distance from their homes. You can't just not build in burn areas because all of SoCal is designed to burn. That is how a majority of the plants germinate and regenerate.

 

Having learned about the science of fires in fire fighting school, while in the Navy, there are two words that almost make it impossible for those people to react in time...... Fire Storm. Imagine a blinding rain with a VERY strong wind (like about 80MPH). Now, imagine that the rain is acually fire and HEAT. In the time it took you to write the opening of this thread, a wall of fire could move a mile and a half and change direction while doing it. Those people who got away with just the clothes on their backs are the ones who acted fast. This kind of fire is perhaps the deadliest of all.

A friend of my boss who had to evacuate, told of fireballs the size of beachballs flying through the air. A car parked on the street would be no better than one in the garage.

 

I saw an AP photo of a guy standing next to what was his house and garage, burned to the the ground + he had a 1930 A Woody that burnt as well. All you could really make out of it was a hood, frame and 1 rear fender. It looked like not only of course had the wood all burned - but - it looked like the metal melted or something. I don't remember his name but it said he owns an office supply store. "If you are the guy and you see this post I just want to say how sad it was to see that picture of what happened. I hope things get beter soon for you".

 

I wonder if that's the same photo I saw here on the HAMB with a billet wheeled Blazer/Suburban parked next to it?

 

from what ive seen a lot of the evacutes left behind some 40to50 thousand dollar cars. makes you wonder what they drove away in.although i feal for the ones that lost homes, it looks like they were well enough off to have insurance. the people in new oreleans didnt even have a car to flee in.

 

Let the new cars burn and drive the old ones out, at least thats prolly what I'd do. Newer cars can be replaced and most often have very little meaning to me.

 

You can lose your cars just as fast to an ex wife then watch her new husband drive your shit. Natural disasters suck but lawyers and judges do this shit to men everyday.