Washington fire teams use special blankets to turn off EV fires

The special coverage is placed on the burning car while the battery is sprayed in the water

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The extinction of a fire in an electric vehicle is not your average work to fight fire. It is much more delicate than turning off a fire in a traditional combustion engine car, often requiring huge amounts of water – or, in some cases, a submergation of the whole car in a solid water tank.

Earlier this week, firefighters at Granite Falls, Washington, faced this exact challenge, but with a touch: they used a fire cover specially designed to approach the fire EV.

According to Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue, an EV caught fire by driving on SR-92 early Monday morning. All vehicles used by local firefighters include special EV coverage for a situation like this. To suppress the flames, the blanket is placed on the car while the battery is sprayed in the water.

Read: Tesla under siege while several electric vehicles set fire and were vandalized in the United States in one day

EV fires generate enormous amounts of heat and, unlike combustion cars, can burn without oxygen. There have also been many cases of electric vehicles or even weeks after the initial thermal event. To reduce the risk, local firefighters followed the tray carrying the VE to a local impoundment batch for storage.

The brand and exact model of the EV involved in this incident have not been revealed. However, Granite Falls Fire clearly indicated on their Facebook page that the fire was not caused by an impact.

Are EV fires really as common?

While EV fires often make the headlines, the figures tell a different story. According to data from the National Transportation Safety Board American, there are approximately 25 fires per 100,000 electric vehicles sold in the United States which seem to be concerned until you compare it to the 1,530 fires per 100,000 for gas cars. Thus, despite the attention they attract, EV fires are still much rarer than those of traditional vehicles.