anatomy of a burnt out blitz

[Keith Webb]

I reckon the heat from the burning tyres would have helped the springs to sag. Those were horrific fires. It was such a hot windy day, around 46C at my place.

I once photographed a Ford CMP in the Adelaide Hills which had been through a bushfire with very similar results.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

I reckon the heat from the burning tyres would have helped the springs to sag.

Possibly, although I believe radiant heat from the treeline would have been sufficient on its own, judging by the molten carby (approx 500C) and the softened windscreen glass (approx 800C). Steel at 800C is cherry red to orange, which would explain the LH windscreen frame sagging under its own weight.

Another blitz a few miles up the road was a long way from the treeline, and that one suffered minimal damage (see pics). Only one tyre ignited, and the heat from that only melted the steering wheel. I suspect tyres probably burn too slow to heat steel red hot - unlike the burning forest, which is pumping out gigawatts of IR radiation. Kinda like a giant bar radiator - distance is all important!

I'm aware of at least four CMPs destroyed in these fires, I wonder how many others there were...