It looks like a scene from an outback horror movie.

A white four-wheel drive erupts in flames as melting wires cause the horn to blare across the desert landscape.

The incineration near the remote community of Balgo in northern Western Australia occurred this month, but four-wheel drive experts warn it’s not an isolated incident.

The fires, while relatively rare, are caused by dry grass and spinifex seeds becoming trapped in the hot underbelly of vehicles.

Matt Raudonokis, who edits the magazine 4×4 Australia, says it’s a relatively little-known hazard.

“Any vehicle travelling through spinifex country is susceptible whether it’s diesel or petrol,” Raudonokis says.

“It’s because the oils in the spinifex seeds are highly combustible and they catch fire really quickly.

Wet season fuels growth

Remote community residents are reporting an increased risk in recent months, due to a big wet season fuelling vegetation growth.

Exact numbers are hard to track, but communities along the Tanami Road in the East Kimberley have told the ABC at least three cars have been incinerated in the past six months.

Raudonokis says he saw the fire risk first-hand during a recent expedition.

“What we found travelling through the Gibson Desert was that with a lot of spinifex around, it was getting built up around the exhaust system under the cars every 15 to 20 minutes,” he says.

“Sometimes after only 15 to 20 minutes it was smouldering.”

‘It was a near miss’

The most recent incident occurred in mid-May and was captured on mobile phone video by a Balgo resident.

Locals say the vehicle was a hire car.

Dave Whitelaw, who heads the local Wirrimanu Aboriginal Corporation, says the car was destroyed.

“There were no reports of injuries, but from what I can gather it was a pretty near miss,” he says.

“There have been other instances of vehicles travelling through the desert and picking up debris and catching alight, so it’s quite a risky situation.

High-risk time

Four-wheel drive vehicles are the lifeblood of many remote farms, stations and Aboriginal communities.

They’re often the only way to access water points, cultural sites or to head into town for vital supplies.

The risk of vehicle fire is higher during April and May, when residents have to push through overgrown tracks in the wake of wet season rains.

It’s also the peak time for southern holiday-makers to head north, venturing onto isolated four-wheel drive tracks such as the Canning Stock Route.

Concern DPFs raise fire risk

There have been lengthy discussions in four-wheel drive circles about Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) increasing the fire risk.

The filters are installed in newer-model vehicles to reduce air pollutants by capturing and burning built-up soot at temperatures of up to 600 degrees Celsius.

While it’s not known whether DPF burn-offs caused the most recent fires, the technology has been problematic for a number of manufacturers.