Burnt shifter cable today

It's pricey, about a 6 bucks a foot, but 3 feet should be enough. The guy at the parts store said it wouldn't burn, and I thought, yeah right. I guarantee you it won't burn, when I brought it home I tried burning the end with my oxy acetylene torch and no dice.

I also have a short piece on my starter cable where it is close to the header.

Silicone just turns to white dust instead of burning in a traditional sense, but at a really high temp.
You probably noticed the white stuff when you tried to burn it with your torch.