Someone told by that there have been more fires than usual at salvage yards. There was even one here in Illinois last month that I didn’t hear about. Has anyone noticed anything?
Have not seen any on the news around Southwest Florida.
A few burned cars on the highway but not in the junkyards.
Found a few stories without much known ad to why. Most recent was a JDM salvage importer in Opa Locka that lost much of their stock in a fire. Lithium Ion battery fire may be a cause but is the only explanation for the surge in the last decade.A cyber-truck into the guardrail did need 2,000 gallons to put out the fire near Seattle the other day.
Other than the speculation in various corners that’s it’s to eliminate parts for older models without certain features. Reddit and similar forums seem to be taking this seriously but I’ve yet to go down that rabbit hole.
Though I’m not sure if scrapyard fires are genuinely more frequent or are simply receiving more media attention, I’ve seen a few news about them lately as well. I’m curious if anyone has noticed any trends or data on this.
The township where I live in Southern New Jersey banned any scrap yards, salvage yards, or junkyard years ago.
Nothing around here except a couple house fires and the warning to park electric bikes etc. outside.
That doesn’t make sense to me, junkyards have been dealing with that for decades, no fire needed.
If the fire happened outside then it could have been from a worker using a blue tip wrench…
If the fire happened inside then it could be a chop shop… seen it lol…
A semi truck carrying lithium ion batteries caugt fire and burned to the ground on I75 (Alligator Alley) in Florida last.night…
Not a junkyard or a car but it is a battery fire.
There are many reasons for banning junk yards and scrap yards due to protect public health, preserve property values, and manage community aesthetics. Sometimes it only takes an influential Council Member who says, “Not in my back yard…”
Perhaps the foremost reasons are:
For Environmental Protection: Scrap yards store hazardous materials like motor oil, antifreeze, freon, and battery acids. Local governments restrict them to prevent these contaminants from seeping into soil and local water supplies.
For Public Health & Safety: Piles of junk and standing water create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rodents, and other pests. Limiting these sites reduces health risks.
And for Aesthetic & Economic Reasons: Junkyards are often considered visual blights. The important reasons are to maintain the visual character of the community and protect surrounding property values.
“Not in my Back Yard!”
As kids it would be fun exploring the junk yard on a Sunday afternoon. Collected a few gear shift knobs too. Then they put the fences up and hired a dog.
When I was a kid, there was a section of the Town Dump where they would deposit cars that had been abandoned on the street. I used to ride my bike over there with a friend, and with a few hand tools, and the result was a decent collection of hood ornaments, badges, and logos. These were all from cars dating back to the late '40s-early '50s. Once in a while, a guy would chase us away, but that was somewhat rare.
That Town Dump is long gone, as is my collection of souvenirs that I acquired there.
…to prevent future acts of arson.
And in the case of a privately owned junk yard, theft.
Basically it’s the conspiracy theory that it’s to get rid of spare parts for older cars to force us into these new cars with cameras inside to watch the driver. REDDIT discussion mostly. Had to close the tab ìt was getting ridiculous.
These fires are common in junkyards but mostly smaller ones. Getting more attention but not everywhere. The 2 main ones here haven’t had a fire in years, at least not one that’s made the news.
The thing is they have to be pretty well organized now. All the fluids are drained and contained and the parts cataloged before they are put out in the yard. Some are better than others though. I knew a guy that worked at one. Legally blind from fireworks but knew where every car was.
You beat me to it, db.