Road flares in trunk have destroyed 5 Houston police cars.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/are-f ... index.html

The above link is a 1 minute, 53 second news video about this problem.

Some or all of these 5 Houston police cars have been totally engulfed in flames and destroyed.

All the LEO's have been able to escape their burning cars unharmed.

Imagine this: the fires start in the trunk, where the road flares are stored...
wouldn't the trunk possibly be the place where their AR-15's and extra ammo are stored?

It's not too reassuring to think about multiple rounds of .223 cooking off in the city.

SIA

[jmra]

It's not too reassuring to think about multiple rounds of .223 cooking off in the city.

According to Mythbusters it wouldn't be nearly as bad as most people think.


"Bullets thrown into an open fire can explode with lethal force.
BUSTED
The Mythbusters dropped a box of bullets with varying calibers directly into an open fire. While many of the bullets immediately discharged,, it appeared that none of the bullets could be lethal. Like the oven test, most of the damage was being dealt by the shell casings, which could not travel fast enough to be lethal."

[Jumping Frog]

It's not too reassuring to think about multiple rounds of .223 cooking off in the city.

If there is a round chambered, it could cook off and be dangerous. "Assuming" the safety is on, the rest of the magazine should not fire. The rounds in the magazine and any other rounds cooking off would not be dangerous, only the round in the chamber.

SAAMI did a study, discussed here: Ammo in a fire? What happens?

From the article:

Over time, the trunks where they are stored get so hot because of the Houston heat. That can cause the tape that binds them to break down and peel off. Right now, officers use plastic containers to secure and store the flares but HPD is considering switching to metal bins.

Seems like someone needs to buy a FoodSaver

[texanjoker]

I've worked some fires and u could hear the popping noise of rounds going off, but nothing shooting out. I would be mad if all my equipment was lost as we carry a lot of our own stuff.

[Wodathunkit]

There is a great video of a FD testing this, I've seen it somewhere on here.

[Jumping Frog]

There is a great video of a FD testing this, I've seen it somewhere on here.

That is the link I provided above.

[tacticool]

It's strange that the flares my dad and my uncles carried in their trunks for years never spontaneously combusted.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

If Houston heat is a factor, why isn't Brownsville heat, or El Paso heat, or Phoenix heat burning
up their police units?

Maybe Houston sources their flares from China, meaning all expectations of safety and performance
are but a pipe dream! :-)

SIA