Bummer. If he's interested, I'm selling mine. First offer over $1000 gets it.

 

A fire extinguisher isn't a UK requirement. The only time I have seen them is in my mums taxi as it was a requirement there and my work van had one that the office supplied. I think they are law over in the EU though.

 

Some car clubs incentivize the carry of fire extinguishers, extra points in judging for show cars, etc. In the classic car world though, we don't want to compound the damage by using an ordinary fire extinguisher. Dry chemical extinquishers are bases which become mildly corrosive when it gets wet, i.e. if the fire department shows up later and puts water on it too. It can react with some metals, for example if it gets into an electrical connection, sensor or circuit board, it could compromise the electrical connectivity or if there are shiny zinc plated parts they won't be so pretty anymore after that stuff eats away at the plating. If you just quickly put out a small carburetor fire, the collateral damage could cost more than the fire damage. They make special fire extinguishers for use in computer server rooms so they can extinguish the one component that catches fire without risking damage to the rest and so those have become popular with classic car owners.

I carry a 2.5lb Halotron extinguisher in each of my cars. Halotron is a gas which eventually dissipates leaving no residue behind to clean up or damage other components. They work by chemically disrupting the fire and displacing oxygen. If the fire has started under the dash or under all that plastic engine cover crap then you're not going to be able to spray dry chemical directly at the base of the flame anyway like you would with a dry chemical type. Instead of opening the hood you'd just pop the hood release and open an inch or so. Then you'd point the nozzle or hose in the gap and empty the whole extinguisher into the closed engine bay, thus flooding every bit of the volume with inert gas.

A friend of mine is a firefighter and he recommended to me that the little 1.5lb units that some people like because they fit in a glove box are too small for most of the car fires he's seen and recommends at least 2.5lb size but he carries a 5 pounder himself. They're expensive at typically $125 to $150 each for a 2.5lb size, but could save you many thousands and may mean the difference between a car that is written off vs insurance agreeing to repair it. The types with a short hose are actually easier to use as I described. The stuff is non-toxic to breath but should still be avoided as much as possible. If someone is trapped in the burning car, better to use it, get them out unburnt into fresh air ASAP and do CPR if necessary.

Now if you do want to just buy the cheaper dry chemical type, its better than nothing at all. Everyone should have an extinguisher in their car. Just remember if you do have to use it and then plan to repair the car, don't try to wash the residue out with a water hose. Use your shop vac to get out as much of the powder as you can first. No need to go into details here but if you ever have to clean up dry chemical, you can do a google search and find instructions for how to neutralize the stuff. And of course, if you have one then you'll never need it. Its usually when you don't have one that you wish you did.

And one more advantage to the Halotron is that it isn't as likely to go bad like the dry chemical types, other than just leaking down. The dry chemical powder inside tends to settle and pack down hard and then in ten years you have a fire and nothing comes out. If you buy the dry chemical type, don't forget to sort of shake them once every couple of months, take them off the wall, turn them upside down, roll them around, etc to stir them and loosen the powder. It should sound like sand in an hour glass as you turn them but if you hear nothing or hear a thunk, then the powder has clumped together inside and its not safe to use anymore.

 

Did he ever smell gasoline coming from the engine bay? If so I can tell you what it was.

 

Blair - Hope you are OK now. That's a scary story... Amazing that you have pictures of the burning Jag. There's a lot to be said for having substantial metal around you and advanced safety features.

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There was no smell of fuel according to him probably electrical I'm guessing. On the positive side it is an 04 with 120 k on it in the insurance gave him 6K for it

 

If there is a leak in the anti-lock brake pump mechanism, brake fluid can leak onto circuit boards that would cause an electrical short and start a fire. I guess the upside of your car burning to the ground was that it wasn't parked inside your house at the time while you were fast asleep inside.