Date:         Thu, 15 Feb 2001 06:57:22 -0500
Reply-To:     Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject:      Re: 1985 Vanagon fuel overflow?/spills/fire
Comments: To: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@ipa.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Max asked:

> I would  think 2 gallons of gas on the concrete/asphalt would certainly wet
> 200 square feet of pavement for sure.  Anybody else got an opinion on this?

20'x10'...5'x40'...2'x100'...Nope.
I'm no chemist, but, in my fireman/paramedic experience with vehicle
accidents and fires, the spilled gasoline starts to vaporize and thereby
thin without too much spread. In larger punctures and tears in the gas
tank(s) the gasoline will gulp and flow more, but still evaporates fairly
quickly. Lots gets absorbed into the pavement, too.

In a recent "car fire from hell" an SUV was on fire in a parking lot full of
cars and one of its two fuel tanks ruptured from the heat of the fire,
causing its twin to do the same ( BTW I've never seen a 'Hollywood' fuel
tank explosion). The gas spewed and flamed until we extinguished it, then
would immediately erupt from the fresh gas from the opposite side. All we
could do was keep the fire from impinging on any more neighboring vehicles
(five total damaged). Incidently, the fire started in the dash and quickly
engulfed the entire auto and one  other... we could see the smoke column for
two blocks. She had just topped off both tanks.


--
Stephen Steele
Chillicothe OH
'91 Caravelle  Hans
'84 Westfalia  Fritz