Is Your EV on Fire? Government Advises: Let It Burn

We’ve written on these pages of the increasing concerns of some car buyers about headlines and photos of EV’s catching on fire. Some helpful advice from the Wall Street Journal on what to do if your EV catches fire. The consensus? Let it burn.

First responders in Franklin, Tenn., faced their first burning EV in September, a Nissan Leaf that ignited while charging outside the car maker’s North America headquarters. They spent hours pouring 45,000 gallons of water on the car, compared with the 500 to 1,000 gallons that fires involving gasoline-powered vehicles usually need, Fire Marshal Andy King said.

“I think if we were faced with a similar scenario next time, we might need to let it burn,” he said…

The batteries contain flammable chemicals and can release their own oxygen as they burn, allowing EV fires to reignite hours or even days after they appear to be quenched. They also emit toxic fumes that Tom Miller, who teaches for the West Virginia University Fire Service Extension and the National Volunteer Fire Council, said “make hydrogen cyanide look like Pez.”

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