While the chances of your vehicle catching fire and exploding is relatively rare, Manitoba Public Insurance says three cars burn in the province every day.
Numbers provided to Global News show in 2018, 1,095 vehicles caught fire.
Most of the time, it’s hard to tell what started the fire, said MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley.
“Causation in many cases cannot be determined,” he said.
“However, fires are attributed to electrical issues, faulty repairs (customer or shop) and, of course, arson.”
The number of car fires in the province have remained steady since 2015, with 2019 on pace to match the past four years, said Smiley.
- 749 for 2019
- 1095 for 2018
- 1098 for 2017
- 970 for 2016
- 1077 for 2015
Statistics Canada’s most recent information for vehicle fires across the country show levels also remained steady from 2010-2014, when they collected information on car fires. Vehicle fires, including passenger vehicles, trucks, SUVs, rail, water and farm vehicles and more, ranged from a high in 7,173 in 2011 to 6,056 in 2014.
The causes of car fires range from design flaws, poor maintenance, crashes, coolant leaking onto hybrid batteries, to overheating, fuel system leaks and arson.
Meanwhile, about nine cars are stolen across the province daily, and that number has also remained steady over the past several years, said Smiley.
“In Manitoba, about 3,400 vehicles are stolen yearly, costing MPI ratepayers about $30 million last year,” he said.
“About 90 per cent of those thefts are related to the use of keys. It’s estimated that about 85 per cent of all vehicle thefts in Manitoba occur in Winnipeg.”
Moral of the story: Don’t leave your keys in your car if you don’t want it stolen, and keep your car maintained if you want to help prevent it from catching fire.