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Taxi Inferno, Take 2: Flaming Cab on West 42nd Street
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 20, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 20, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Reader Ben sent us this picture of a cab on fire at West 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. This is odd, but made odder by the fact there was a taxi fire outside Rockefeller Center on West 50th on Tuesday. What's going on with the Crown Victorias?
It's unclear if anyone was injured. If anyone knows, can you tell us if taxi fires are fairly normal? Or car fires, for that matter. And a hypothesis was just offered: The flower decals are making the taxis heat up more!
Update: City Room says the cab was not a floral-decal cab. And Gotham City Insider has a good rundown on why cabs, Crowns Vics in particular, are susceptible to fires: "Imagine that x 8 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week. Those motors are dying to explode and rest in Ford heaven."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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