Fire Stations: Could EV Chargers Cause A Fire At Your Facility?

Thousands of atoms can be contained in an electric vehicle battery pack. If just one becomes unstable, it can lead to thermal runaway – a dangerous and potentially deadly exothermic chemical reaction.

“In layman’s terms, that EV battery is going to explode,” states Thad Diaz, a former fire captain from Tampa, Florida. 

Continues Diaz, “Most electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by lithium ion batteries – the same type of rechargeable batteries in your laptop or phone but with significantly larger cells and a much higher voltage – and when damaged, they can ignite.”

Although headlines might lead you to believe EVs are blowing up every day, Motor Trend reports that they are no more likely to catch fire than any other car on the road (something the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also confirms). The outlet believes it’s mainly just news bias. “The vast majority of [car fires] never make the news. But if a Tesla or a Chevy Bolt catches fire? It's probably on the front page nationwide and going viral online,” writes Motor Trend.

While this may make some people feel more confident driving an EV, many believe that charging stations do present a danger, with insurance solutions company Verisk stating that a third of EV fires are linked to charging. And the word seems to be out among consumers, with memes showing flooded Tesla charging stations beginning to make the rounds online.

With that in mind, should businesses like self-storage facilities reconsider making room for EV stations on their property?

EV Battery Blazes

EV batteries have caused numerous self-storage and warehouse fires in recent years. At first, most of the reports focused on the batteries themselves, including two major 2023 battery-fueled blazes that took out one facility and severely damaged another.

In May of that year, Access Self Storage in Byfleet, England, was destroyed due to defective batteries in storage. Firefighters battled the blaze for three days, but ultimately the entire facility was ruined. Five months later, a battery “bomb” went off at a Brooklyn Stop and Stor facility where several dozen defective battery-powered e-bikes were being stored. The facility was crippled for months, and one firefighter was sent to the hospital.

Diaz says that while this destruction is unfortunate, it can also be inevitable when a facility is harboring large amounts of batteries, regardless of how quickly response teams arrive. “These battery fires are often far more damaging than other types of fires, and they don’t respond well to water,” he explains, adding that even after these fires appear to have been extinguished, they tend to reignite spontaneously.

For this reason, Diaz says that some departments are just letting the EV burn if it’s not going to harm anything nearby. “Using tens of thousands of gallons of water to suppress the fire only to have it reignite is too wasteful,” he says. “Once the fire has burned itself out, the crew will usually remain on the scene to be sure it doesn’t reignite. But they’re not going to futilely fight a fire when it doesn’t pose a threat to another vehicle or building.”

Even after the EV fire is contained, Diaz says the runoff from the batteries could be toxic to the environment, firefighters, and locals.

Just days after Diaz warned of this, on Sept. 27, approximately 33,000 pounds of lithium batteries inside a shipping container caught fire at the Port of Montreal. But the fire wasn’t the biggest concern for many. “Battery fires emit hazardous pollutants like hydrogen fluoride and small particles that can penetrate the lungs,” McGill University epidemiology professor Jill Baumgartner told CBC News. “Firefighters and first responders may want to begin monitoring their health.”

Martin Guilbault, division chief with the Montreal fire department, said that this was a first in his 32-year career, but he suspects this isn’t the last large-scale battery fire. “I would say that every fire department on the planet is concerned about these types of fires.”

Station Situations

As MSM reported in a previous story, “Installing EV Charging Stations At Self-Storage Facilities,” the market for EVs is being propelled by some policy lawmakers and younger consumers who strive for a more sustainable future. While there has been an EV backlash in some circles (they believe EVs are not particularly greener than gas vehicles, or that they’re job-destroyers), many countries continue to build out their EV charging infrastructure.

For some, this build out has not happened quickly enough, which is why some believe EV sales are suffering. Fox Business writes that among car shoppers who say they’re “somewhat unlikely” or “very unlikely” to buy an EV, the lack of charging station availability was the leading reason (53 percent).

In response, savvy businesses have been installing charging stations on their properties, seeing it as a lucrative opportunity. EV Connect states that “EV owners were willing to pay up to $3 per hour for charging and 12 percent were willing to pay $4 per hour, even if it only costs them $0.75 per hour to charge at home.” 

With these kinds of numbers, the installation of electric vehicle chargers could be an untapped stream of revenue for self-storage businesses as they tend to have the space and capacity to build charging stations. It can also be a good look for attracting potential tenants, who may view the facility as a good steward for the planet. But Diaz has concerns.

“EVs are a relatively new tech and the codes always lag behind. I've seen enough reports of fires around the world to make me wary of having an EV in my garage. The batteries – especially if they’re damaged – present a potentially high fire hazard condition which is compounded when they’re at a charging station.”

Diaz’s concerns are not unfounded. A family connected to the self-storage industry recently lost their home to a fire after their Tesla Model X Plaid caught fire during Hurricane Helene. According to Morgan Hodges, EVP of Janus International, the car was parked in their garage during the storm. When six to eight inches of water entered the garage, the family raised the car, and even though it wasn’t plugged in at the time, it still erupred into flames. The family has shared a Nest video capturing the moment on camera.

Nine people were inside the house when the fire began, with at least two awake who quickly noticed the flames consuming the garage. Thankfully, everyone escaped safely, though the home was ultimately destroyed.

With that sobering thought, here’s a look at three charging station-related fires at home and abroad.

Bolzani, Italy in 2024

A massive fire engulfed a factory that specializes in manufacturing EV charging stations; defective units were believed to be the cause. The fire could be seen for miles. Nearby businesses were forced to shutter, residents in the area were instructed to close their windows, and several flights were grounded due to lack of visibility.

Pennsylvania in 2024

A Tesla EV burst into flames at a Sheetz EV charging station in Harrisburg. Thankfully, no other vehicles were in the vicinity, but because Sheetz is also a gasoline fueling station, concern was extremely high. Fire crews worked to battle the flames and continued to douse the car’s battery with water even after the fire appeared to be suppressed.

Delhi, India in 2022

A massive fire broke out at an EV parking lot and charging center at the city’s metro station. It destroyed 10 EVs, 80 e-rickshaws, and three e-scooters. Investigators believe the fire was caused due to a short circuit in one of the EVs batteries.

Why Batteries Burn

Charging stations don’t spontaneously combust on their own, of course; a battery needs to put the spark to the powder. According to Diaz, there are a trio of culprits when it comes to battery damage.

“No. 1 would be powering your battery with an incompatible or faulty charger or charging it at a higher current than it’s designed for. Either of these can cause a battery to become unstable. No. 2 would be some sort of physical trauma to the battery, caused by a traffic collision or maybe running over road debris which damages the pack. The vehicle owner may just assume the damage is cosmetic, and not have the battery checked. When they go to charge it–boom. No. 3 is submersion in water,” he says, which was something widely reported during Hurricane Ian and, more recently, Hurricane Helene. “In areas where flooding is common, a vehicle may sit partially underwater for a while. This is especially bad when it’s coastal waters, as the salt is very corrosive.”

EV FireSafe, an organization that provides free electric vehicle fire safety knowledge for emergency responders, reports that EV batteries begin to corrode after just five hours of submersion in saltwater. It further reports that following Hurricane Ian, many EVs remained partially submerged in coastal Florida waters, the salt eating at the lithium ion batteries inside. Although 15 EV fires were reported, three incidents were confirmed with photos.

Ultimately, hundreds of EVs that had been submerged for too long and were considered dangerous had to be sent to scrap yards and spaced out to avoid spread in case one ignited.

Looking At Liability

Scott Zucker, a partner with Atlanta-based law firm Weissmann Zucker Euster + Katz, P.C., says they’ve definitely seen an uptick in cases where fires were caused, allegedly, by the improper storage of batteries. Because of this, he has seen facilities add provisions to their rental agreements that preclude the right to store batteries, just like any other flammable materials. “The shift in liability comes from this prohibition in rental agreements,” says Zucker. “If the tenant ignores the restriction, then they would be in breach and ultimately be liable for the loss.”

Zucker adds that it is unusual for tenants to carry liability insurance for self-storage, however, so they’d likely be uninsured, and the cost of repairs or damages would fall back to the facility operator under their liability or damage coverage.

In bigger loss cases, and Weissmann Zucker Euster + Katz has handled several of them, Zucker says the facility’s insurance carrier has paid for the damage and repairs but then sought subrogation against the liable tenant. “The tenant may then seek recovery against the battery manufacturer, but those claims are hard to prove.”

When it comes to charging stations, it’s a whole different ball game. “If a charging station fire were to occur, the cause of the fire would first need to be determined,” says Zucker. “Was it the vehicle, the battery, the charger, or the installer?”

Zucker says that one or all would be responsible for the blaze once the investigation had concluded, but presumably not the tenant/car owner and not the facility owner. “As the owner of an EV car, I like the concept of a charging station at a facility, and any risk can be balanced by sufficient liability coverage,” he says. “I guess the smartest thing to do is to not place the charging station right next to the storage buildings!”

Charging Forward?

In its safety report, EV FireSafe concluded by stating that while EV fires present new risks and challenges for emergency responders, “[Our] research indicates that EV battery fires are very rare.”

Diaz acknowledges that although this may be the case, he’s still not a big fan. “Failure in cold weather, fires from saltwater submersion, and this charging station situation … I’ll personally never own one. But if you do, practice safety. If you suspect damage to the battery, always have a shop take a look at it. In other words, ‘check before you charge’ … I think there may be a public service slogan in there,” he laughs.

For facility owners, Diaz has further advice, and says that placement of charging stations is key. “I recommend isolating the stations, so if there is a fire, it can burn itself out without spreading. You should also leave the station uncovered; don’t put a roof above it or house it in any type of structure. Again, this will keep the fire contained to the one vehicle and stop the accumulation of toxic smoke. And be sure to have your electrical system checked out by a certified technician who can confirm that your facility is capable of managing the power of the charging stations.”

You’ve been armed with the facts. Now it’s up to you to decide whether to charge forward with EV stations or pull the plug.

Brad Hadfield is the MSM web manager and a news writer.

GEARED UP

By Thad Diaz, a 25-year veteran of the Hillsborough and Pasco County Fire Rescue, now writes detective novels that are available on Amazon.

Firefighters have been conscious of the hazards of carcinogens on bunker gear for more than a decade; it comes with the job now. But EV fires are creating even more of a challenge. The National Institute for Health (NIH) has found that battery fires emit a range of highly toxic compounds that may pose a threat to people’s health, especially firefighters who remain on the scene for long periods of time. In response, it’s offering tips for the safe handling and cleaning of clothes after battery fires.

Now, cleaning turnout gear is not new. Some departments highly enforce it and don’t even allow firefighters to keep their gear in the passenger compartment to protect their long-term health. However, having different cleaning protocols for different types of fires is a nuisance and could create a delay in threshold times, which is the moment the alarm goes off to wheels rolling. But eventually, as firefighters become more accustomed to EV fires, it will likely just become a habit.

I think back to when I started as a PFF. At that time, old-timers used to never clean their helmets, wearing their black, soot-covered gear as a badge of courage. I started that way too, but eyed the soot that came off on my fingers every time I touched it with suspicion. That’s about the time studies started to surface about cancer and how we were bringing unburned hydrocarbons into every fire.

After that, I kept my gear spotless.