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Being on fire is surely — by definition — not part of normal operation.

Both electric and internal combustion vehicles have failure modes that involve fire.

No, but the activities that led to the fire were. There was no accident, there was no impact of any kind. It was a question, not a condemnation. When is the last time an ICE car burst into flames during normal operation?

Given the number of cars that exist, it's almost guaranteed that the answer to that is "today" if you look hard enough.

It happens surprisingly regularly, but it doesn't get reported by the BBC. I was driving through Portland OR ~4 weeks ago and noticed an RV pull of the side of I5 southbound with the engine smoking. After a few minutes, flames were leaping from the engine compartment. I didn't see any indication that there had been an accident (no body damage, etc), so I assume there was no impact.

Its not surprising really, ICEs are powered and lubricated by highly flammable liquids. They are certainly very reliable these days, but fire is still a failure mode.

What percentage of those cars were less than three years old, or a supercar?

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