A routine car fire call turned into a complex firefighting operation when crews discovered the blaze involved a Tesla at an EV charging station.
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.
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.
image via Dustin Weese
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.
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