EV battery fires are especially dangerous in a garage where they may spread to the house. Photo provided
By Rich Pollack
Delray Beach Fire Rescue Chief Ronald Martin knows firsthand that electric vehicles and salt water driven by hurricanes don’t mix.
As the incident commander for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District when Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022, Martin oversaw teams of firefighters who were confronted with two or three electric vehicle fires caused by saltwater corrosion of the cars’ lithium-ion batteries.
“The problem was we couldn’t extinguish the fire, so we moved the vehicles to a location where they could burn themselves out,” he said.
With hurricane season upon us, fire safety leaders want to make sure electric vehicle owners — especially those living on the barrier island — know the risks that come when hurricane-driven salt water interacts with the batteries of plug-in electric vehicles as well as hybrids and other vehicles with lithium-ion batteries.
“If you own an EV, it is imperative that you have a plan that addresses your unique risk,” Martin said.
One of the best things you can do, says Highland Beach Fire Marshal Matt Welhaf, is to move the electric vehicle away from the ocean.
“If you are in the path of a hurricane, you should get the vehicle off the barrier island to higher ground,” he said.
Fires in electric vehicles are caused when salt water or even seaside salty moisture invades a compartment in the car that houses sometimes a hundred lithium-ion battery cells.
“Corrosion from the salt damages the connectors and that shorts out the battery,” Welhaf said.
It doesn’t always happen right away.
Martin and Welhaf, along with others, say it could take days or even weeks before the corrosion leads to a fire.
“There are cars that have burned months and even years later,” Welhaf said.
While firefighters are concerned about the electric car fires, which are difficult to put out, they’re also concerned about structures being destroyed if an electric car in a garage combusts.
Firefighters and city leaders in Tampa believe a fire that destroyed a home in the city’s upscale Davis Islands neighborhood after Hurricane Helene in September was caused by an EV in the garage.
When electric vehicles catch fire, the blaze is extremely hot and destructive and is extremely difficult to put out.
Fire officials warn about keeping an EV in the garage during a hurricane and say that if you can’t get it off the barrier island, move it as far away from a structure and other vehicles as possible. The same goes for golf carts and other vehicles such as scooters or e-bikes that have lithium-ion batteries.
It’s also important to not try to start or move an EV that has been flooded by salt water without first having it checked out since any movement could cause a fire.
A concern in South Florida is that part-time residents may keep their electric vehicles in garages while they’re up north for the summer. An owner, Martin says, should have a plan to have that vehicle moved off the barrier island or away from a structure if a storm is coming.
In Fort Myers Beach, the challenge of battling an electric car fire was compounded by damaged infrastructure, including broken water lines and fire hydrants that were ripped away by 16-to-20-foot storm surge.
One of the strategies in putting out an EV fire is to use large amounts of water, but that is challenging when there is no water coming to an area.
The techniques firefighters use to address EV fires are evolving, according to Delray Beach Fire Rescue’s David Garcia, the assistant chief of emergency management and homeland security.
There are now hose nozzles that can be used to put water under the burning vehicle — to reach the batteries more efficiently — and new blankets that can be deployed.
Still, the best strategy for EV owners is to take preventive steps.
Tips to prevent EV fires
Recommendations for owners of electric vehicles if there is a hurricane watch or warning in place in their area:
• Consider moving your electric vehicle off the barrier island and to higher ground.
• If you can’t move it to higher ground, make sure the vehicle is outside and away from structures and other vehicles.
• Avoid driving the car or moving it if it has been exposed to salt water or salty moist air — even after the storm has passed — without having it checked out.
• If you’re a part-time resident, make sure you have a plan to have the vehicle removed from the barrier island.
• Avoid charging your vehicle during a storm.
Source: Local fire departments
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