Your fire story and driving reminds me of one of my stupidities. Long long ago, I had a Ford Thunderbird, and it did not like cold snowy weather, also it did not enjoy sleeping out side. It was very cranky to be sure, any way I felt sorry for the beast [or was it my pain in using a starting handle to wind it up on cold mornings in 10 deg of frost]. To cut the story short, I put a blanket under the hood the night before, and promptly forgot. Next morning it started [the beast that is] with no problems, so drove off and and about 3 miles down the road, there be flames coming out from under the hood , promply stopped the car lifted the bonnet and removed the burning blanket and dumped it into the snow, burned most of the insulation of the electrical wiring, drove on only latter did I realise what an Equus rectum be I. strange, nere a burn? Later that day. I had to insulate the wiring so the car would start, and the lighting system would function. Moral, never leave a flamable item on a v8 engine with its bonnet on.