Bingley's question about the best size of fire extinguishers for cars made me wonder about something when you do discover a fire (usually under the car's hood), and as I did not want to hijack his thread, I thought I start a new one.

So...

You discover a fire under the hood of the car. It seems most people's first impulse is to get the hood open to get to the fire, and (if they have it) use an extinguisher.

But, is this the right thing to do?

IMO, keeping the hood closed will contain the fire and the smoke and CO/CO2 will tend to deprive the fire of oxygen, and slow it down. When you open the hood, the fire will flare up as all the fumes escape upward and oxygen flows in from the bottom. Now it is a bigger fire. So even if you have an extinguisher, opening the hood may just flare up the fire so it is totally out of control. . .better to just get everyone clear and to call for help and let the pros handle it. Leave the hood closed.

What do you guys think?