Lithium-ion battery fires from electric cars, bikes and scooters are on the rise. Are firefighters ready?

The rechargeable batteries that power common items like e-bikes, scooters and electric cars can pose a dangerous new threat to firefighters. They burn hotter and longer — and many fire departments may be unprepared to tackle them.   "I don't believe we can say we have all that we need to support these incidents. Most of the equipment used for these incidents is not fully vetted and we are still working to identify the best options. Standard operating procedures need to be vetted and finalized and these procedures need to have consistencies that are shared between fire agencies."  "This is an ever-evolving topic and as new technology comes out, we need to continue to stay up on current trends, this is a work in progress. 

In June, four people were killed and two others seriously injured after a lithium-ion battery malfunctioned and sparked a fire in a first-floor e-bike shop in New York. Fire officials say the blaze quickly spread to apartments above the shop.    "The prevalence and occurrence of hybrid/electric car and lithium-ion battery fires is increasing. … Lithium-ion battery fires present a severe hazard to the public and to our responders and we want to ensure that our personnel are prepared to mitigate these incidents." 

It's not an isolated incident. Fires caused by rechargeable batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, have been increasing steadily in large cities like New York and San Francisco. Since at least 2019, fire departments in the two cities say they've responded to at least 669 incidents combined.