Electric vehicle fires pose their own unique set of challenges and the Pine Level Fire Department has revealed it took more than 36,000 gallons of water to bring a burning Tesla Model Y under control.
According to the department, firefighters responded to a report of a traffic accident with a vehicle fire at 11:14 pm on Christmas Day. When they arrived on the scene, the Model Y was “fully involved in fire.”
Thankfully, the driver wasn’t hurt in the accident and managed to escape. Their vehicle wasn’t as lucky as the battery pack reportedly experienced a “thermal runaway.” The highway was closed and firefighters spent over an hour battling the blaze.
The department noted “electric vehicle fires are unusual and present unique challenges and dangers to firefighters” as they can “reignite hours or days after they are first extinguished” and burn at temperatures exceeding 4,532° F (2,500° C). They added, “smoke from these burning electric cars produces Hydrogen Fluoride and Hydrogen Chloride gases – both of which are toxic to breath (sic) and requires firefighters to wear breathing apparatus.”
While the department didn’t say much about the accident, WSFA reports the driver was a 33-year-old man from Georgia who was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The station also talked to Pine Level Fire Chief Austin Worcester, who said traditional vehicle fires require around 300 to 1,000 gallons of water to extinguish. He added that special equipment exists for fighting electric vehicle fires, but it’s far too expensive for the volunteer fire department.
