In recent months, if not in recent years, the most high-profile car fires have centered around electric cars, and all this is exacerbated above all by the many questions surrounding this technology, which is nonetheless new to the automotive world. industry .

Today, it is not the headlights of electric cars that make the headlines, but self-ignition of thermal machines. Indeed, in recent days in Venezuela, several videos have spread on social networks, in which cars are set on fire without much explanation.

At first glance, there is no particular explanation, but experts and consumers point out gasoline quality. For its part, the state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela denies this.

Growing fires

However, it seems that the number of cases is increasing and that they are increasingly worrying Venezuelans. Firefighters receive an average of four calls a day about sudden vehicle fires, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Although Petroleos de Venezuela denies that these fires are related to low-quality gasoline distributed in Maracaibo, experts doubt: “There were failures at the refinery” Paraguana complex, “responsible for processing, processing and distribution of fuel in the state of Sulia (of which Maracaibo is the capital)”Hugo Hernandez Raffalli, former head of the company, explains to AFP.

Lack of solvents in the first place?

Many experts agree that due to lack of solventsgasoline spread is highly corrosive with high sulfur content, which messes up the car’s fuel pumps. Worse yet, and this seems to be becoming more and more true with these spontaneous car fires, this greatly increases the risk of fire.

Ibsen Chasin, a 52-year-old mechanic, has repaired 25 cars whose fuel pumps stopped working in the past two weeks. “Cars are stuck in the middle of the road, and you are called to solve the problem… They say gasoline is perfect, but phew”he breathes without saying more. “Even if the parts are of poor quality, it is impossible for them to last only a few days” with that essence, he said.

At the same time, these spontaneous fires boosted sales in another sector… Fire extinguishers. For its part, Petroleos de Venezuela is defending itself with a social media communication campaign, emphasizing that the distributed gasoline has successfully passed all tests.