Anti-freeze is flammable? That's a new one on me.
Old story, but new report on what might have caused the fire.
Headlights focus in Ashley Turton fatal car fire - wtop.com
WASHINGTON -- Investigators analyzing the death of lobbyist Ashley Turton believe the high-intensity headlights of her sport utility vehicle may be responsible for the fatal fire that engulfed her Capitol Hill garage, WTOP has learned.
Several sources familiar with the ongoing investigation tell WTOP fire and police investigators believe the radiator in Turton's 2008 BMW X5 was punctured when it rolled into a workbench. The halogen headlights, which emit a bluish light and illuminate the road better than conventional headlights, stayed on after the radiator was punctured.
The autopsy into Jan. 10 death of Turton, a lobbyist for Progressive Energy and wife of a senior aide to President Barack Obama, is still pending, but investigators believe she was stricken and unconscious before the fire ignited.
The working theory being investigated by D.C. police and fire investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the heat from the headlights, in proximity to the radiator's antifreeze, either caused or exacerbated the initial fire, which eventually ignited the garage.
Antifreeze is flammable, although it catches fire at 240 degrees Fahrenheit -- far above the temperature at which water boils.
Fire experts say antifreeze is rarely the ignition source in auto fires.
"It's usually the last fluid to catch fire, in a fully engulfed fire," according to a local fire department spokesman.
However, in June 2010 the National Fire Protection Association issued a safety alert about antifreeze in residential sprinklers.
Two engineers from BMW traveled from Germany as part of the investigation, which at this point is under the lead of the Metropolitan Police Department, company spokesperson Thomas Plucinsky tells WTOP.
The company provided investigators with vehicle service history information on Turton's car, Plucinsky says.
Plucinsky declined further comment until the official investigation is released.
While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested warranty records from BMW for Turton's vehicle, a statement emailed to WTOP says, "The agency has not seen evidence of a defect trend in BMWs. However, we are in close communication with local authorities, who are investigating the Capitol Hill incident."
Turton was married to Daniel Turton, who has been the White House deputy director of legislative affairs for the U.S. House since 2009. They have three children.
Beverly Fields, chief of staff at the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says Turton's autopsy is pending, awaiting other tests. The initial physical autopsy did not provide a cause and manner for her death.
From the start, investigators have not suspected foul play.