Lessons from the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Ethanol-fuelled fires behave fundamentally differently from conventional hydrocarbon fires. A widely referenced incident from the 2009 Indianapolis 500 provides a rare real-world demonstration of how these fires develop — and how quickly they must be controlled. During a live pit stop, an IndyCar was engulfed in flames following an ethanol fuel spill. Within seconds, the fire spread across the vehicle bodywork, cockpit, and ground surfac