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BMW goes up in flames in the North End
By adamg on Sat, 06/11/2016 - 11:31am
Outside 190 North St. last night. A 311 complaint this morning reads:
Totalled BMW set on fire last night
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
I don't get the 311 complaint
Does the complainer know that it was arson and are they letting the city know that? Or are they assuming that it was arson?
If It Was On Fire Right Now, It Would Be Proper To Call 911
At this point however, it's just a burned car that someone left on the street, so it's no longer an emergency. It's unclear whether the car was totaled before being set on fire, or as a result of the fire.
I don't see where the complainer is assuming anything — they just want the ugly car taken away.
"Set on fire"
Does that mean it just set its self on fire? Or some outside force?
Anyway the fire seems confined to the front left. Anyone know if the battery is located there? I am guessing it was caused by some sort of short.
Yes, It's Quite Possible The Car Committed Self-Immolation
Car looks like an E46 3-series
The battery on these is located in the right rear, in the trunk. (Helps with the 50/50 weight distribution.)
fuhgeddaboudit
u didn't see nothin'.
Police cannot tow always
It is likely the 311 complaints wants the burned out shell towed.
The police will not (cannot ) tow a car like this in all instances. If it is not obstructing traffic it is up to the owner to have it removed.
Further, a burned out shell like this requires special equipment, specifically a flat bed and likely "dollies" onto which it can be placed first, before it can be removed. This kind of equipment is available with many tow companies but not all, so getting the right tow company with the right equipment would be an issue.
also if the insurance company covers this kind of damage then the insurance company would do the tow order, and it's a weekend so this could be there until Monday at least.
Also if the owner was out of the city, it may have to wait till they come back.
Just because it is an eyesore doesn't mean that it can be removed quickly. Often there are extenuating circumstances, and legalities at play.
As to the 311 complaint... well some of that is out of hand now with some people forming the "Morally Outraged Squad." In fact it is easy to read through the complaints and figure it is a jogger or dog walker as the complaints rack up one after another as they ditty-bop through a neighborhood. You could put a push pin on a map and figure out who the "anon" complainers are after a while. And FWIW... I complained about some seriously dangerous stuff over a year ago that has yet to be addressed. Just waiting now for someone to get hurt or a car damaged. So much for the 311 line. Nuff said.
You vastly underrate city powers
IMHO
I'll just address one issue I'm sure of:
The city doesn't have to wait for owner. If it's not moved in a certain amount of days the car can be cited and towed. The owner could be on a one way trip to Mars. City of Boston certainly isn't going to wait fr them to get back.
They can tow it immediately.
They can tow it immediately. It is a health hazard and danger to the environment. They tow them all the time as soon as they cool off.
Really? When my car caught
Really? When my car caught fire (in a nearby town, not Boston), the police had called for a tow truck before I even came outside. My insurance paid for it since I had comprehensive coverage, but it was certainly the police that made sure the car didn't sit there for a few days.
And I've seen cars get towed for far less than this. Like when someone's horn was blowing continuously. It turns out the anti-theft club on their steering wheel had shifted and was pressing on the horn. The tow truck driver stopped the honking as soon as he opened the car. But even though the problem was solved, he said the police called him to tow it, and tow it he did.
Maybe it was the getaway car from the Beacon St. Bentley crash
in March. But that BMW was white - was the car in the picture a black BMW that burned white, or a white BMW that burned black?
311?
311? Looks more like a 325.
Probably not totalled...
Probably not totalled prior to the fire, a good guess and a bit of common sense tells me the car set on fire, unknowing to the owner, and the BPD used a pry bar on the hood due to thensure engine being the likely origin of the fire.
Every incident isn't a conspiracy as titles tend to convey, the world is a simple place, sorry internet.