SF Gate: Freak fire traps man inside Audi/Battery failure a possible cause

[David Head]

Remember, they're vacuum operated...

Greg wrote:

>  Freak fire traps man inside Audi 5000, Battery Failure
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> This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate.
> The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/01/14/MN10502.DTL
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> Monday, January 14, 2002 (SF Chronicle)
> Freak fire traps man inside Audi/Battery failure a possible cause
> Jim Doyle, Michael Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writers
>
>    Redwood City -- A Redwood City man was in critical condition last night at
> a San Jose hospital after he was trapped in a bizarre car fire that may
> have disabled the automobile's electrical system, preventing him from
> unlocking the doors, authorities said.
>    The man suffered burns over 50 percent of his body after being trapped in
> a 1985 Audi 5000 sedan. Investigators said the fire may have prevented the
> driver from operating the sedan's power door locks. Officials said he was
> unable to get out of the burning car.
>    Firefighters quickly doused the blaze yesterday morning, but they had
> difficulty removing and treating the driver.
>    The middle-age victim, whom authorities would not identify, was flown by
> helicopter to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where he was
> undergoing intensive care and evaluation.
>    Fire investigators suspect that the blaze may have been sparked by a
> malfunctioning battery. The battery in that model of Audi is stored
> beneath the four-door sedan's rear seat. Electrical cables go from the
> battery up to the engine compartment of the car.
>    "The battery may have shorted and malfunctioned and started the fire,"
> said Battalion Chief Jim Varner of the Redwood City Fire Department. "If
> the battery had some kind of failure, that could be a reason for the doors
> and windows not working.
>    "It's an unusual set of circumstances," Varner said. "We have very few car
> fires that are in the passenger compartment. Usually, it's under the hood.
> . . . It was also unusual that he was not able to get out and walk away."
>    In the mid-1980s, the Audi 5000 was accused by consumer advocates and
> government agencies of having a mechanical glitch that caused it to
> accelerate suddenly. It was called "unintended acceleration." Even after
> the U.S. government exonerated the car and it was found not to have that
> problem, Audi's U.S. sales sank, damaged by unfavorable publicity. They
> have risen since then, and the marque is well known for its comfort and
> speed.
>    Yesterday, Audi experts contacted by The Chronicle said they had never
> heard of this kind of freak accident -- failure of the car's electrical
> system trapping passengers inside a locked car -- and none of the many
> stories about Audi's problems in the 1980s mentions the electrical
> malfunction.
>    At Audi of America in Auburn Hills, Mich., director of marketing Walter
> Hanek said, "I'm not aware of such problems."
>    The incident involving the Redwood City man took place near the corner of
> Marlin Drive and Redwood Shores Parkway, not far from the driver's home in
> the Redwood Shores suburban neighborhood. Investigators surmise that he
> was heading home when his car burst into flames. He pulled the car over to
> the side of the road.
>    Neighbors said they spotted the car fire shortly after 10 a.m. and
> immediately dialed 911. Three minutes later, when firefighters arrived,
> they found the car engulfed in flames and the driver trapped.
>    "We had some difficulty getting the driver's door open," Varner said. "The
> window was either down or open, but when our guys tried to pull the pin
> for the door lock it snapped off. Hydraulic rescue tools were needed to
> force the door open."
>    In addition to his third-degree burns, the man suffered from smoke
> inhalation. "He is in critical condition, and we are still assessing his
> condition," a hospital spokesman said last night.
>
>    E-mail the writers at jdoyle at sfchronicle.com and mtaylor at sfchronicle.com
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> Copyright 2002 SF Chronicle