Horsham police have warned residents against parking on leaf piles, as car fires can be a result. (Credit: Hush Naidoo Jade Photography / Unsplash.com)
Resulting car fires have already been an issue twice in Montgomery County this year.
Rain may be on the way, but it has been one very dry fall. Both Hatboro and Horsham have issued burn bans at different times, with some still in effect until Dec. 1.
The weather conditions have kept local fire departments hustling, with repeat brush and outdoor fires, often in the same day. Still, multiple acres of burned land has resulted throughout the region.
And while you may have doused your fire rings, shuttered your chimineas, and opted not to burn the season’s leaves, there is another risk far fewer are aware of: car fires.
I know what you’re thinking, ‘How does the weather catch my car on fire?’ But it isn’t the crisp autumn air that causes the issue. Instead, it is parking on dry leaves.
“There have been two incidents so far this fall in the county of cars catching fire after parking on a pile of leaves,” said the Horsham Community Police Services via a post to Facebook on Horsham ChATs.
The authorities have warned that, using your own vehicle as a type of heat source, these crunchy tree droppings can quickly become a problem.
“As we all know, it has been very dry, and the heat of your car can cause the leaf pile to catch fire,” said Horsham ChATs. “Accordingly, please use caution this fall and avoid parking on leaf piles.”
For more information on Horsham leaf collection, visit the site here. More details on Hatboro’s yard waste collection can be found online here.
