New fire equipment aimed to better extinguish electric vehicle fires

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Electric vehicles are gaining popularity on the road. The models made up more than 5 percent of the total cars sold in the second quarter of 2022, which is more than double the number sold last year.

The electric vehicles offer a more environmentally-friendly option and are much less likely to catch fire due to a fuel leak or crash, but the hazard does not completely go away with newer models.

When lithium ion batteries inside EVs catch fire, it can create dangerously high temperatures and be difficult to extinguish.

"As we see more and more electric vehicles on the roads, we're in turn going to see more chances of those electric vehicle fires," Lt. David Morales, with the Getzville Fire Company, said.

Without the right tools, it can be difficult for fire departments and companies to fight these fires.

"An electric vehicle fire could potentially take up to thousands of gallons of water to put out and several hours and several different companies of people," Morales said.

Morales said the EV fires can get extremely dangerous too.

"You can't get close to any of these fires due to the gas, due to these tools if you would try to puncture you would be electrocuted," he said.

The battery pack for the cars are inside a metal box. They can catch fire from overheating or from accidents, and when they do, it is difficult for firefighters to reach the source of the fire and extinguish it. Fires from electric vehicles also burn hotter than regular fires and smoke produced by a burning EV is toxic.

"When they fail, it's really, really bad," Joe Caughey, product manager with Rosenbauer, said.

Rosenbauer, a worldwide fire solution company, is aiming to make fighting these fires a lot simpler, using the 'Battery Extinguishing System Technology,' also known as BEST, to puncture the metal box.

"We're going straight into the source of the fire and we're delivering cooling water right into the cells themselves and we are going to fill that entire pack full of water. We flow at just eight gallons a minute, so it's quite literally a garden hose of water," Caughey said.

The upwards of $35,000 equipment, is now catching the attention of fire departments in Western New York, including Cheektowaga. During a phone call, Chief Joe Dahn told 7 News' Kristen Mirand they are pushing to get this equipment at the U-Crest Fire Department. It is something Town of Cheektowaga Councilman Brian Nowak is pushing for as well.

"We're working with the Town of Cheektowaga. They have a parking garage, so if you have a car burning in the parking garage with other cars around you, you want to be able to extinguish that vehicle quickly if it's an electric vehicle burning," David Mangus, territory sales manager with Empire Emergency, said.

Mangus sells the equipment in Niagara Falls, with the hope to sell more to WNY fire departments.

"With electric vehicles becoming more popular, this equipment is definitely crucial for fire departments." Mangus said.

Although the chances of an EV fire happening is less likely, if it does happen, the hope is to be better prepared.

"With the increase of electric vehicles on the road, there's always that chance that we could see them, and you never know when it's gonna happen," Morales said.