In response to Skye's note, I guess it could have been an electrical fire, but
there was no warning of popping/crackling or the burning insulation smell.
Just the smoke right after the brakes went, followed by the flames.
The wires behind the dash look mostly OK, maybe a little warm from the heat,
but they don't look like they melted because of a short. I haven't taken off
the dash yet to get a better look at the extent of the damage there (I was told
to wait for the insurance adjuster before taking it apart). I removed the
battery from the car earlier tonight, and it's putting out about 7 volts. On a
good day I could get 11.5 from it. I'd guess that it was slowly feeding a
short somewhere in the system for the past 24 hours, so I'm not surprised that
it's low. Physically it looks OK, no signs of overheating.
There was an insulating pad under the hood, so I couldn't really tell if there
was brake fluid spray. The pad is gone now, although some big chunks that
didn't burn were strewn about. If the pad was soaked with brake fluid, the
fire hoses got rid of the evidence.
Thanks to everyone who sent a note of consolidation or encouragement. I'm
bummed but not devastated - I was able to walk away unhurt, which might not
have been the case if it had happened a few minutes earlier on the highway.
--Steve (1980 MGB)
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