Inherent design flaw in keyless ignition system in the Toyota Prius may have been the cause of Monday's blaze inside Disneyland's parking structure

A keyless ignition system found in recent models of the Toyota Prius may have been
the cause of Monday's massive fire inside Disneyland's Mickey & Friends parking structure
Anaheim Fire & Rescue investigators are still trying to determine what started a multi-car blaze at Disneyland's Mickey & Friends parking structure on Monday which damaged at least 9 cars and injured 7 Disney employees, 4 of which were sent to the hospital.

Monday's blaze on the President's Day holiday at the Mickey & Friends parking
structure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California
So far, they have determined that the source of the fire began at 4:37 p.m. in either the cargo area of a 2015 Toyota Prius where the battery sits, or the engine compartment of a 2001 Ford Expedition.

Both cars were parked where they believe the fire started and were located within three feet of each other, from tail bumper to front bumper with the Prius in front of the Expedition, on the Daisy level (i.e., the second floor) of the massive parking structure.

Disney has numerous surveillance cameras inside the parking structure which could clarify the source of the blaze on Monday, if that specific area where the fire started was caught on camera. In addition, their security logs in their Central Communications keep tabs of unattended cars that are left running in their parking areas, which could further elucidate what went on if such a car was noticed by security in the parking structure that day.


From our own investigation of the matter, we may have found a key clue. The likelihood of a car catching on fire if it is off is very low, so the 2001 Ford Expedition, if we presume it was left off, is far less likely the culprit of the fire since remote keyless ignition systems were far less prevalent in the early 2000s.
    

But if there is doubt, that issue could be easily verified by examining the ignition system of that car or asking the owner of that vehicle if his/her SUV had such a system.

Monday's blaze is suspected to have begun here with this Ford Expedition and
a Toyota Prius parked right in front of it inside the parking strucutre
However, all Toyota Priuses are equipped with keyless ignition systems, which in the past have been demonstrated to have a deadly defect in their design that allow those cars to remain running without the owner knowing that they did not properly turn off the car.

Keyless ignition systems allow drivers to start the car with only the press of a button when an electronic "key fob" remains in their pocket or purse, which is detected by the system to be inside the car.

A class-action lawsuit against 10 car makers with keyless ignitions filed in 2015 alleged that once the car is started, these systems allow those cars to continue running unless the owner pushes a button to turn off the engine, even after the fob itself is no longer in the car; therefore, the cars do not necessarily turn off by themselves when the key fob is away from the car.


Because hybrid vehicles, like the Prius, largely run silent on its electrical motor while in idle, drivers can inadvertently leave their vehicles running without ever knowing it.

Photo of a Toyota Prius on fire
And if something is blocking the cooling vent to the battery in the back seats of the car, the batteries may easily overheat, causing a fire.

Or when the batteries run low in hybrid vehicles, the engine might start later on to keep the car running, which could also lead to a fire if left unattended for hours.

The point we are making is this: a running, unattended car in a parking lot is far more likely to catch fire than one that is left off, unless foul play is clearly suspected.

Since foul play was not suspected in this case, we believe this was the likely scenario that happened Monday afternoon in Disneyland's Mickey & Friends parking structure off of Ball Road and Disneyland Drive.


Thus, it appears all eyes would have to go to the Prius as the prime target in starting the fire inside Disneyland's parking structure on Monday. The likelihood that it was left running is certainly highly suspect in causing Monday's blaze.


According to the 2015 class-action lawsuit against 10 major automakers, at least 13 deaths and many injuries have so far been linked to this very scenario, mostly from vehicles left running inside enclosed garages, causing a build up of toxic, deadly and odorless carbon monoxide gas within enclosed buildings, including one case involving a Toyota Prius hybrid.


Anaheim Fire investigators are currently working with insurance companies to determine the cause of Monday's fire, but they do not believe the blaze was set intentionally. Anaheim Police spokesman, Sgt. Daron Wyatt said, "[T]he exact cause and origin [of the fire] cannot be determined without further testing and evaluation."


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