It’s a life-threatening danger that can turn a car’s interior into an inferno, yet many people find it hard to believe.
Firefighters are issuing warnings to drivers about the potentially disastrous consequences of leaving water bottles in cars on hot summer days. According to experts, a plastic water bottle left in direct sunlight can ignite a fire in just a few minutes.
If you’re puzzled by the idea that water—a substance used for centuries to extinguish fires—could be involved in something so dangerously flammable, you’re not alone. Keep reading to find out how this happens.
These days we’re all aware just how hot car interiors can become in summer. In fact, a Stanford University study found that on sunny days when highs range from 72–96°F (22–35°C), the temperature inside of a parked car can reach 112–136°F (44–55°C) within an hour.
Needless to say, leaving certain things in such heat can have disastrous consequences. Most of our readers will have seen repeated warnings regarding leaving children and animals in hot cars, but how about a seemingly harmless bottle of water?
Well, as per reports, that can also be an unlikely recipe for disaster.
Firefighters from Oklahoma’s Midwest City Fire Department conducted a test and found that sunlight magnified through a water bottle could reach 250°F (120°C). Essentially, water bottles can act like a magnifying glass, intensifying sunlight enough to spark a flame and burn the interior of a car.
As a result, the firefighters who conducted the test were quick to issue a warning to people so that they avoid leaving water-filled bottles in direct sunlight.
“The sunlight will come through, when it’s filled with liquid, and act as a magnifying glass as you would with regular optics. It uses the liquid and the clear material to develop a focused beam and sure enough, it can actually cause a fire, a combustion,” firefighter David Richardson told KFOR News.
Another looking to warn of this underreported danger is engineer Dioni Amuchastegui, who experienced the phenomenon firsthand.
“I taking an early lunch and sitting in the truck. Happened to notice some smoke out of the corner of my eye and looked over and noticed that light was being refracted through a water bottle and was starting to catch the seat on fire,” Amuchastegui explained.
Fortunately, Amuchastegui discovered what was happening on time. But it could have ended in disaster.
Did you have any idea about how dangerous it could be to leave water bottles in hot vehicles? I certainly didn’t!