The nation’s drive toward alternative fuels carries a danger many communities have been to slow to recognize: Ethanol fires are harder to put out than gasoline ones and require a special type of firefighting foam.

Many fire departments don’t have the foam, or don’t have enough of it, or are not well-trained to apply it. This foam is also more expensive than conventional foam.

“It is not unusual to find a fire department that is still just prepared to deal with traditional flammable liquids,” said Ed Plaugherspokesman for the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Water doesn’t put out ethanol fires, and the foam that has been used since the 1960s to smother ordinary gasoline blazes doesn’t work well against the grain-alcohol fuel.

Wrecks involving ordinary cars and trucks are not the major concern. They carry modest amounts of fuel, and it is typically a low-concentration, 10percent blend of ethanol and gasoline. A large amount of conventional foam can extinguish such fires.

The real danger involves tanker trucks and railcars rolling out of the Corn Belt with huge quantities of 85 or 95 percent ethanol destined for parts of the country unaccustomed to dealing with it.