Car Catching Fire From Hand Sanitiser Hoax Debunked!

A car in Penampang caught fire, and a clickbait website was caught making up a fake story that it caught fire from a hand sanitiser left inside!

Here is what happened to the car, and why you should NOT share fake news from clickbait websites like Scoop!

 

Scoop : Hand Sanitiser Left In Hot Car Caused Proton Saga To Burst Into Fire!

A new clickbait website, formed this month, called Scoop tried to go viral by creating a fake story about a car that caught fire in Penampang 3 days ago.

Here is the clickbait article that Scoop posted (we used the HOAX overlay to prevent the picture from being misused) :

The car did indeed catch fire in Bundusan, Penampang, Sabah. But the fire did not start from a hand sanitiser being left in the hot car.

 

Car Catching Fire From Hand Sanitiser Hoax Debunked!

Now, let us show you why the Scoop story is clickbait fake news.

Fact #1 : Scoop Embellished The Story

The writer copied the news from the Daily Express, but added the fake claim about a hand sanitiser being left in the car.

In the original news report, there was no mention of hand sanitiser, much less the fire being caused by a hand sanitiser left in the car.

The addition of the hand sanitiser to the article was obviously a FABRICATION on Scoop’s part.

Fact #2 : The Driver Did Not Leave The Car For Long

The driver only left her car for a short while – to withdraw money from a bank, CIMB.

Even if that took her 15 minutes, it would not be possible for the car to heat up so quickly.

Fact #3 : The Fire Only Started When She Tried To Start The Engine

The driver could not start the car so she asked her brother for help. When she tried to start the car again while he was looking at the engine, it suddenly “exploded” and caught fire.

So the fire definitely started in the engine compartment, and not from a hand sanitiser inside the car.

Fact #4 : The Fire Was Caused By Bad Wiring

The driver paid RM 3,000 for an engine overhaul the day before the incident. Her brother’s girlfriend, Rochelle Tan, shared that the fire was caused by bad wiring from that overhaul, causing a short circuit.

She also pointed out how ridiculous the Scoop story was – who would put hand sanitiser in the engine compartment?

Fact #5 : It Is Not Possible For A Hand Sanitiser To Catch Fire Spontaneously

It is not really possible for hand sanitisers to spontaneously combust and set a car on fire. For a more detailed explanation on the reasons why that’s not possible, we recommend this article – Hand Sanitiser : Can It Set Your Car On Fire?

 

STOP Supporting Fake News!

Clickbait websites like Scoop do nothing more than copy and embellish / sensationalise stories from legitimate websites.

You can help STOP the creation and proliferation of fake news by NOT sharing stories from clickbait websites like Scoop, The Coverage, World of Buzz, Must Share News, etc.

 

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