FOX Business’ Madison Alworth reports from Naples, Florida, where fire departments are battling a water-damaged electric vehicle fire.
A South Florida fire captain said he is preparing to open a planned transportation operations center that will house 100 60-foot articulated battery-electric buses, but that brings with it a host of new challenges.
Lt. Mike Adams with the Miami-Dade Fire Department (MDFR) said the EV industry is changing quickly and is so new that departments are trying to keep up. South Dade Transportation Operations Center It is expected to accommodate Miami-Dade County’s Metro bus fleet as early as next summer, with the project scheduled for completion in summer 2026.
Adams said he and his team were “as prepared as we can be” for electric vehicle (EV) fires, which are more difficult to tackle than regular car fires.
“Electric vehicle fires are much hotter, burn much faster and require much more water to put out,” Adams told FOX Business by phone about EV fires, adding that while a typical car fire requires about 300 to 400 gallons of water to put out, an electric vehicle fire could require 10 times that amount of water.
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Six Tesla electric cars burn on a trailer in Istanbul, Turkey, October 6, 2023. (Muhammad Gensbay Gah/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
MDFR firefighters are “constantly” learning new training and industry standards because there is no “silver bullet” for putting out EV fires. Adams said EV fires not only require more water, but they also take more time, effort and cost to put out. Most EV fires are put out by simply pouring water on them until they burn out on their own, Adams said.
Adams said he is involved in state-level EV testing to establish some sort of standard operating procedure or policy for fire departments.
EV fires are a growing trend, but Adams said they’re still rare.
As for the transportation center, which is still in the design and engineering phase, Adams said there are a lot of people involved because there are no building codes specific to EV home structures.
“EVs are a lot heavier than regular cars,” Adams said. “You have to structurally strengthen the building, especially if you’re building something like a multi-storey car park. So you have to redesign the building to handle the extra load, and then redesign the electrical system to handle those charging requirements. And then you have to do the same for automatic sprinklers and fire-side suppression systems.”
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Several charred Tesla Model Y electric cars are abandoned in a parking lot in Frankfurt, Germany, on September 14, 2023. (Alex Krauss/Bloomberg/via Getty Images)
When it comes to buses, Adams said the larger the vehicle, the bigger the battery will be, and drawings of buses he’s seen show the batteries mounted on the roof, creating height and access issues.
Last month, a driver crashed a Tesla in Texas, causing the car to burst into flames. Video released by the Colonie Police Department Police officers are seen breaking the window and freeing the driver.
Police tried to put out the fire but According to KLTV: But it kept resurfacing.
In June, a car believed to be a new Tesla Model 3 burned for two hours and consumed 45,000 gallons of water before it was put out. Panama City Beach Fire Rescue announced the news on Facebook.
“The battery’s protective casing sustained significant damage, causing thermal runaway,” the post said, which “creates a chain reaction within the battery cells that is extremely difficult to stop once started.” Dragonfly Energy status.
A Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle on August 30, 2021, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Adams said all automakers are now in the EV business and those who choose to take to the roads in EVs need to be aware of the potential risks.
“Consumers have to pay attention to their vehicles,” he said. “They have to look out for telltale signs of malfunction. They have to use the right charging cords and charging stations. They have to look out for damage, like running over things on the road. They have to be more aware of potential hazards.”
