As Martin Alcala’s BMW M3 roared down the dark highway, a violent bang shook the car. The pavement beneath it lit up with orange fire.
A connecting rod had failed at high RPM and shot out the bottom of the engine block. Oil gushed through the jagged hole and ignited, fanned by the high-speed wind.
As Martin pulled over on the side of the highway, his car trailed a plume of fire and thick bluish-gray smoke.
“The only thing on my mind was that I had to pull over and get the fire out,” he tells us. “I've been in enough situations like this to know there's no point in panicking. Start panicking and you start doing stupid things. Just stay calm and do what you have to do.”
Martin has been building, modifying, and selling cars since his mid-teens. Over the years, he’s worked on everything from Japanese imports to American muscle to German performance cars.
His latest project is a heavily modified 2023 BMW M3, which he estimates makes around 1,000 horsepower at the wheels.
That night, he had a box of car parts sitting on the passenger seat, including a brand-new H3R Performance fire extinguisher he’d purchased just three weeks earlier.
“When the time came,” he says, “it was a tool that was ready to use.”
Knowing the fire had started underneath the car, Martin got down on the ground and began spraying from below. When the flames didn’t fully go out, his friend popped the hood and they attacked the fire from above.
Another driver also pulled over with an extinguisher and offered to help. It was a powerful reminder that being prepared protects not only yourself, but others as well.
Once the blaze was out, it became clear to Martin that this could have been a total loss. But because he was ready, the story has a very different ending.
“The whole car was saved,” Martin says with a smile.
Carrying a fire extinguisher has always been non-negotiable for him.
“Ever since I started modifying cars, I’ve always felt like you need to have one, just in case,” he says.
After the fire, Martin’s M3 went to a performance shop to get a new, more capable engine built to handle the power.
He also received a free replacement fire extinguisher through H3R Performance’s Emergency Replacement Guarantee, so he could get back on the road fully protected.
“I've seen too many cars catch fire, especially modified cars. If you’re pouring all this money into your car, an extra few hundred dollars for an extinguisher is just good insurance. I’d rather spend that than lose the $100,000 the vehicle cost.”
— Martin Alcala
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