CASE STUDY: Vehicle Fires and Explosion Assessments

Rimkus Consulting Group has a passion to get to the
facts of the case with action like this:
a. What caused the fire - product, equipment or human error
b. Working in close cooperation with fire officials during on site investigations all the way through application of the most rigorous evidence lab analysis, protocols and standards.
c. Determination analysis areas include: arson, electrical failure, fuel termination, depots, gasoline fueling stations, mechanical failures and tank truck ruptures.

Vehicle Fires and
Explosion Assessments
You know that it takes rigorous
in-depth analysis to explain the
origin and determination of
cause when it comes to fires.

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DETAILED CASE STUDY:
Why did a tour bus filled with passengers catch fire after a collision?
Shortly after midnight a 1998 Van Hool tour bus was southbound on a major
interstate and involved in a collision. According to the police report, the bus
was sideswiped by a Pontiac Firebird on the left side, causing the bus
to collide with the center retaining wall on the right edge of the roadway.
Following the collision, the bus caught fire and was extensively damaged.

Rimkus Consulting Group was given the assignment to investigate the
accident to determine its cause - specifically to provide the facts on
whether a mechanical or electrical failure or defect contributed to the fire.

In the course of our investigation we reviewed the depositions of the three drivers. We reviewed the transportation company’s accident report. We also examined color photography of the tractors and accident site.

Rimkus Results:

1. The most obvious widespread damage to the bus was caused by the fire. The right side and interior of the bus were completely consumed . The front, left, and rear exterior portions of the bus were only minimally burned. The engine compartment also burned, however, the fire was extinguished before the engine cover or the batteries and fuses at the left-rear corner of the bus became involved.

2. Rimkus analyzed the scrape marks along the lower end of the left side of the bus. These scrape marks were found to be indicative of sideswipe contact between two moving vehicles which was consistent with the accident report.

3. Rimkus examined the considerable impact damage at the right-front corner of the bus. The entry stairwell was crushed and the right-front suspension was deformed aft. Most significantly, however, the impact was sufficient to deform the leading outboard vertical frame member on the right side of the bus aft causing it to intrude into the right fuel tank area. The right fuel tank itself was consumed in the fire, but the shape of the space formerly occupied by the fuel tank indicated that the fuel tank either ruptured or was deformed in such a manner that fuel was released through the tank vent.

4. The observed impact damage is consistent with the reports given. According to the accident report, the impact of the bus against the retaining wall was sufficient to dislodge sections of the concrete wall from their foundations. Given the severity of the damage concentrated in the area of the right fuel tank, the spillage of fuel was practically unavoidable. The fuel was then ignited by sparks generated by metal components of the bus frame (frame, wheel, suspension, etc.) scraping against the pavement and the retaining wall. The entire right side of the bus was then engulfed in flames from the burning fuel spilled from the right fuel tank.

5. Rimkus Determined this Fact: There is no evidence of a mechanical or electrical failure causing this vehicle fire. Given the sideswipe marks on the left side of the bus and the impact damage to the right-front corner, it is clear that the fire was caused solely by the impact of the bus against the retaining wall.