# Firefighters urge drivers to keep up on car maintenance to prevent roadside grass fires

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/205377>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [March 22, 2026, 6:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/205377 "2026-03-22T06:30:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Robert-Gift](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/robert-gift/32/356_2.png) [@Robert-Gift](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Robert-Gift)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 6:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/205377/1 "2026-03-22T06:30:04Z")

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[https://kdvr.com/news/local/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/](https://kdvr.com/news/local/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/)

The only fire my fire department knew of was parking on dry grasses which contacted an unshielded catalytic coverter.

_“Smoking materials”_? Why not say slobs littering lit cigarettes out windows?  
Fortunately, cigarettes today are made to self-extinguish, so less chance of starting fires.

Years ago I reported a diesel locomotive starting many fires along the railroad’s right of way from hot carbon pieces from its exhaust.  
Exiting the fire station crews headed east and west.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/205377/2 "2026-03-22T12:32:01Z")

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Keeping the grass cut also helps…

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/firefighters-urge-drivers-to-keep-up-on-car-maintenance-to-prevent-roadside-grass-fires/205377/3 "2026-03-22T14:23:54Z")

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> [@Robert-Gift](#):
>
> The only fire my fire department knew of was parking on dry grasses which contacted an unshielded catalytic coverter

Years ago, in central NY at carnival - parking for the carnival was in an open field. One car’s catalytic converter caught the grass underneath it on fire. Multiple cars were destroyed.