Family escapes flaming inferno on A6 near Heilbronn – car burns out!

Family escapes flaming inferno on A6 near Heilbronn – car burns out!

Last Saturday afternoon, a vehicle caught fire on Autobahn 6 near Heilbronn and burned out completely. Fortunately, the four occupants were able to get out of the car in time and escape outside. According to the information from SWR No one was injured in the incident.

The police closed the route between the Heilbronn/Untereisesheim and Bad Rappenau junctions in the direction of Mannheim for around 45 minutes. The fire, which was caused by a technical defect in the engine compartment of the older vehicle, led to heavy smoke. In addition, the road surface on the hard shoulder was damaged. The extinguishing and rescue work took around one and a half hours and led to a kilometer-long traffic jam.

Causes and risks of vehicle fires

Vehicle fires represent a serious risk in road traffic. Every year around 15,000 cars burn down completely in Germany, and technical defects, accidents or even vandalism can be identified as the causes. The most common reasons are technical defects, overheated brakes, damaged cables or leaking gasoline, which can ignite on hot parts, as in Wikipedia is described.

The resulting smoke gases can be particularly dangerous, endangering not only the occupants but also subsequent road users. Drivers should therefore always ensure that they have a hand-held fire extinguisher so that they can react quickly in an emergency. The speed of fire spread depends on various factors, which requires a timely response.

Insurance coverage in the event of vehicle fires

It is important for vehicle owners to know how they are protected in the event of a vehicle fire. Motor vehicle insurers registered around 12,200 car fires in 2022 and paid almost 93 million euros for vehicle fires, like the one The insurers reported. The average cost of a car fire is over 7,600 euros.

Vehicle owners are therefore well advised to take out partial comprehensive insurance that covers damage caused by vehicle fires. Fully comprehensive insurance even includes these services and ensures that damage caused by self-caused accidents is also compensated. It should be noted that damage in fully comprehensive insurance can have an impact on the no-claims bonus, while partially comprehensive insurance damage does not affect this.

In summary, vehicle fires can be caused by various factors and pose risks to both people and traffic. Adequate insurance can help mitigate the financial consequences of such an event.