A routine car fire call in Upper Allen, Pennsylvania, turned into a complex firefighting operation when crews discovered the blaze involved a Tesla at an electric vehicle charging station. [emphasis, links added]
A massive response from multiple fire departments including a hazmat team was required to safely extinguish the blaze.
CBS 21 reports that on Monday evening, the Upper Allen Fire Department responded to what was initially reported as a standard car fire at a local Sheetz convenience store.
However, upon arrival, firefighters quickly realized they were dealing with a more challenging situation: a Tesla electric vehicle engulfed in flames at a charging station.
A viewer shared this video of a vehicle catching fire at an electric vehicle charging station at Sheetz on South Market Street in Upper Allen Township.
A few obstacles to the appeal of electric vehicles: https://t.co/DGUXmx7K7O pic.twitter.com/NSpxfBItUi
— WPMT FOX43 (@fox43) July 9, 2024
Unlike conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, EVs contain large lithium-ion battery packs that can reignite even after the initial fire appears to be extinguished.
This characteristic requires firefighters to adopt specialized tactics and often prolongs the time needed to fully secure the scene.
The Upper Allen Fire Department and crews from nearby departments immediately began battling the flames upon arrival.
Their initial efforts focused on controlling the visible fire, but the real challenge came after the main blaze was subdued.
Firefighters then had to address the car’s battery, which posed an ongoing risk of reignition. To mitigate this danger, they employed specialized techniques to cool and douse the battery pack.
As celebrity car enthusiast Jeremy Clarkson explained in 2023, one thing that makes EV fires so dangerous is the “thermal runaway” that occurs within lithium-ion batteries:
Clarkson also pointed out the difficulty in extinguishing fires in electric vehicles, citing an incident where an electric car burned for days due to a phenomenon known as “thermal runaway” in the battery pack.
“The electrical car that Richard Hammond rolled down a hill while filming for the Grand Tour burned for days. And then, after the fire had died down, something in the battery pack called ‘thermal runaway’ caused it to rear back up again. And this went on for weeks,” Clarkson explained.
Multiple agencies responded to assist the Upper Allen Fire Department, bringing additional equipment and expertise to the scene.
This collaborative effort underscores the importance of interagency cooperation and specialized training in dealing with emerging technologies in firefighting.
After the fire was brought under control and the battery sufficiently cooled, the Tesla was towed away from the scene, however, the firefighters’ job was far from over.
Crews remained on site to monitor for any potentially hazardous material spills, runoff from firefighting efforts, and the possibility of the fire reigniting – a known risk with lithium-ion battery fires.
In a statement released after the incident, the Upper Allen Fire Department expressed its gratitude to the assisting agencies, acknowledging the difficulties presented by this type of fire.
Read rest at Breitbart
I understand that the new protocol in California for an EV fire is to simply let it burn out.. cause they have no good way trying to put the fire out.
Do a search for this article on the Vinfast site: “The fire rate of electric vehicles is 61 times lower than that of gasoline vehicles”
There’s your answer, genius.
You fail to take into account the huge number of gasoline vehicles versus the small number of electric verhicles. Especially Tesla vehicles.
Nope. Studies I’ve read actually do take that into account. Dig deeper.
Hahaha you ain’t no genius either.
Because there are fewer EVs , genius!
Nascar want’s to go electric. Cant wait for the first big crash and fire.
They’ll have to cancel the race and evacuate the track.
Think about all those Contaminates getting into the air a Gas powered Cars don’t do and Biden the Blunder wants to force us to drive the EV’s nobody wants the WEF as well they all need to leave
Back in the 60’s, a batch of cars were recalled for leaking gas tanks. The solution was to pipe the car’s inert exhaust into the gas tanks and braze the leaks shut. Try that today!
If conventionally powered cars burst into flame spontaneously as often as EVs do, would they still be certified for production, insured or not recalled?
Ground the fleet! Let ’em cook off in the desert, far away from civilisation.
The EV was burnt toast before the fire department arrived. Let it die, take lots of pictures then scrap it.