Opel Zafira started the car park fire in Cork

Thermal incident.

Now if the customer got a recall notice and ignored it, where does that leave them?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/up-to-60-cars-scorched-in-accidental-cork-car-park-blaze-1.4004015

The Times and a few other articles have claimed the cause was a Opel Zafira. I'm not certain if it has been 100% confirmed, but this video from the fire brigade around the source of the fire also shows what look like two Zafira B's:

https://twitter.com/CorkCityFire/status/1168091850676297728

The Zafira B (2005-2011) has gone through multiple safety recalls related to fires caused by the fan blower resistor pack and related components, including a recall earlier this year. Another Zafira B caught fire in Passage West near Cork city in 2015.

Reports have also suggested the car was already smoking before it entered the car park: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/cranes-to-remove-vehicles-after-cork-car-park-fire-947708.html

(note they only claim "seven-seater people carrier")

Of course there was some wild speculation that it was an electric car (because carrying around 40+ litres of petrol is totally safe, right?) which is most certainly a load of balls.

It seems there is significant structural damage to the steel framed car park, the entry/exit ramps are unusable and they will probably have to use cranes to remove the 200 or so cars. Demolition seems likely, though most of the shopping centre is a separate construction.

my3cents wrote: »

Just out of interest is it possible to have a device in a car like a sprinkler system in a building where it turns on and dumps a load of foam in the affected area?

Yeah, quite common in older VW campers but I have no idea about EV options.

* in retrofit kit form, that is.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/opel-zafira-fire-risk-blamed-on-non-approved-parts-1.2402473

The problem has so far been traced to the car’s heating and air conditioning system but does not appear to be a manufacturing fault. According to Opel “so far it seems to be that it’s being caused either by a repair that wasn’t done properly or by the use of parts that aren’t approved by Opel.”

&

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/opel-recalls-8-200-cars-in-ireland-over-fire-risk-fears-1.2653557

Opel recalls 8,200 cars in Ireland over fire risk fears

Rhys Essien wrote: »

400 people now out of work.

More than 400, i'd imagine.


Lots of people use that car park when doing any business in Douglas village.
Ah well, at least the clampers in the woolen mills will be kept busy for the next few months.

Will the new National Childrens Hospital have an underground car park ?

If so will they admit Zafiras, bmw's and other high risk yokes ?

And Ferrari! :pac:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motoring/ferrari-458-fires-explained

zilog_jones wrote: »

Teslas are generally not spontaneously combusting though - people are just pointing them out because they are unusual cars or like a bit of EV scaremongering. The last high profile Tesla fire was as the result of a high-speed collision.

Lots of ICE cars are catching fire all the time, just thankfully not so much in multi-storey car parks.

I had a problem with some slight burning smell in my '98 Fiesta some years back, then one night a few days later smoke started emanating from somewhere in the cabin. I was near home so parked up and disconnected the battery, and got it towed the next day. Turns out the fan resistor pack had burnt up and the plastic assembly had melted - but I was turning up the fan to get rid of the smoke!

I would imagine any car on fire is unusual and worth pointing out

I had a B5 A4 that tried to set itself on fire, scary experience.