Do start wires melting also put the van in gear?
And turn the lights on and off and hit the horn?
it is pretty common to leave cars on gear, at least if you have manual
more likely is the wires to ignition switch are twisted together. the heat melted the insulation and closed the circuit
the conductors for the horn, also on the steering wheel, are likely in the same wire bundle which explains why that circuit also closed
It still doesn't explain how the van moved. When a vehicle is off the transmission prevents it from moving. Even when you crank the engine you must physically move the transmission into gear.
Manual transmission. Parked in neutral with the ebrake applied. Parked on a very very slight hill. Fire got to the plastic to wire connection, melted the plastic and disengaged the ebrake.
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