Report: Rising Number of Parked BMWs Mysteriously Catching on Fire

Small business owner, Bill Macko was in his kitchen when his wife walked in from a short drive and mentioned their BMW smelt a little funny after she turned it off and went to go inside the house.

Macko walked into the garage to check it out, he arrived just in time to hear a “snap, crackle, pop” and see the car burst into flames.

Macko and his wife ran from the house as the fire engulfed the garage and spread throughout both the lower and upper floors. Dozens of firefighters arrived to battle the blaze, and the Mackos watched, from a neighbor’s yard, as their home burned to the ground.

“You cannot do a thing,” Macko said. “That’s the sad part about it.”

Macko had brought the car in for service at the dealership just days before, so he initially thought the fire had been caused by the new battery the mechanics had installed, but once the fire was out, he got another surprise. He learned he’s not the only BMW owner to be left asking questions in the wake of a mysterious fire that started after the car was shut off.

Various other BMW owners have experienced similar tragedies over the last 5 years. The most unnerving part is not just all of the random unexplained coincidences, but also the fact fire departments are stumped when it comes to being able to provide any answers.

Fire officials in Westchester County outside New York City told WABC-TV they were stunned when they learned how long a 2003 BMW had been sitting parked before it caught on fire.

“The owner told us that the car had been parked for at least four, three or four days,” Mamaroneck Fire Chief Tracey Schmaling told WABC investigative reporter Jim Hoffer. “Which we thought was a little peculiar.”

According to KABC in Los Angeles, a 2011 BMW parked overnight caught fire last month, damaging the car but sparing the Darth Vader costume its owner Steve Copeland wore in performances at children’s charity events.

BMW refuses to take any responsibility and goes as far to mock those looking for an apology.

“We have not seen any pattern related to quality or component failure. Vehicle fires can result from a wide variety of external reasons unrelated to product defect.”

Bill Macko finds BMW’s response to these fires incredulous and disheartening.

“You’re at wit’s end, you don’t know what to do,” Macko said. Not even an apology.”

Most automobile fires occur while the vehicle is running. These fires involving BMWs are unsolvable as the vehicles were turned off and in some cases hadn’t even been turned on in days.

Sean Kane, an auto-safety specialist and founder of Safety Research & Strategies, however, raises an interesting thought as to the cause of these fires.

The mystery of car fires that start after the engine has been turned off, Kane says, may stem from the fact that modern vehicles are never fully powered down.

Kane raises a very good point. The electrical systems are more than likely still activated even when the vehicles are turned off. Just like other technology or advanced systems. A vehicle or device could easily contain hidden active programming and the majority of users would be none the wiser. Kane is merely warning of the dangerous associated with advanced mechanical systems in connection to BMWs. An association he appears to believe is entirely innocent and coincidental. But, it does lead others to speculate about far more sinister reasons behind these fires.

Source: ABC News