Above / On Halloween afternoon, Oct. 31, 2012, a car parked atop a pile of leaves on Meadowland just west of Whispering Hills, across the street from May Watts Elementary School. The van ignited just minutes after its passengers headed to the school.
According to PN analytics, for the past few weeks a post from 2012 that’s been saved in the cloud has been attracting readers from around the world. So again this week, we took time to dig back in our hyperlocal files to retrieve information that still holds true.
No matter what year it is or where you live, be mindful that vehicles can ignite when parked on piles of leaves.
Never park a hot vehicle on top of leaf piles.
According to Sciencing.com, a post featured says leaves can start a bonfire at about 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Further, recent searches say a vehicle’s normal exhaust system or a catalytic converter can get up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. A shield aims to protect the catalytic converter, but the shield can reach temperatures of 300–400 degrees Fahrenheit which is above what science says will ignite a leaf pile. Therefore, there is certainly a chance a vehicle that has been on the road for some time period could start a fire if it parked on a leaf pile.
Safety advisories many of us have practiced since childhood are reminders that leaves collecting along curbs where people sometimes park their cars or cyclists try to ride bikes can create hazards for folks trying to get from one place to another.
What’s more, large piles of leaves along the curb are never safe places for youngsters to play hide and seek.
City of Naperville curbside leaf collection enters final round
The City of Naperville is now in its third and final round of curbside leaf collection. Leaves are often piled along neighborhood streets as they wait for the DPW scoop.
Keep all curbside and backyard drains free of fallen leaves to help prevent flooding.
Considering the fair weather, recent pandemic restrictions and large numbers of new cyclists of all ages traveling in bike lanes and along the roads, drive carefully. Whatever your vehicle, always watch out for the other guy.
And remember the speed limit in Naperville, unless otherwise posted, is 25 mph. Yes, Naperville’s speed limit is 25 mph. And complete full stops at stop signs are the law.
Click here for recent tips and current schedule of Naperville’s Curbside and Bagged Leaf Collection in progress until Dec. 18, 2020
Readers remind us again to dig back in our hyperlocal files…
Scary Halloween 2012 Post: As leaf piles line Naperville’s side streets for the annual leaf collection, residents need to take extra precautions when parking. Be mindful of the potential danger and fire hazard that can occur by simply parking your vehicle at the side of the road, even for a few minutes to drop off or pick up children at school.
On Halloween afternoon, Oct. 31, 2012, a car parked on Meadowland just west of Whispering Hills, across the street from May Watts Elementary School, stopped over an accumulation of fallen leaves. First there was smoldering, then the vehicle ignited. Within seconds, the vehicle became fully engaged with fire. The smell of burning tires wreaked through the neighborhood.
PN observed that the red hot fire scorched a large tree and melted the asphalt along the street. All the paint had burned off the vehicle and absolutely nothing remained in the interior.
The good news is everyone escaped without harm.
The firefighters who responded to the call said the condition results when the hot exhaust system components come in contact with the fallen, dry leaves. Specifically, the fire is caused by the hot catalytic converter located underneath the car.
Just what is a catalytic converter? “A catalytic converter is device in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle, containing a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less harmful ones,” according to one of the simplest definitions found in an Internet search.
The purpose of the catalytic converter, according to that quick web search, is to burn off hazardous and toxic pollutants generated from the gasoline powered engine. The catalytic converter, which internally holds a variety of precious metals, creates internal chemical process which burns the pollutants at a high temperature (heat from 1,000 to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit) and produces less toxic materials, primarily water and carbon dioxide.
When fallen dry leaves come in contact with the metal surface of the converter—whether the engine is running or turned off— a vehicle that is parked on top of a dry leaf pile can easily ignite. That’s exactly what happened suddenly this Halloween afternoon.
The first responders remind all residents to check the area alongside the road as you approach to park to determine if there is an accumulation of leaves.
Be safe.
—Positively Naperville
