California Lemon Law News + Info

Fire Departments Not Prepared for Electric Vehicle Fires

Only 25% of United States fire departments have dedicated training for fighting electric vehicle fires, and half of the nation’s fire departments do not have EV-fire protocols at all, according to federal investigators.

Two firefighters stand beside a fire truck, parked on the side of the road in the daytime. The National Volunteer Fire Council and the International Association of Fire Chiefs conducted a survey as part of an investigation launched by the National Transportation Safety Board. After several crashes involving battery-powered vehicles resulted in the EVs bursting into flames, the NTSB looked into this survey and other reports and documents to evaluate increasing risk of battery fires in EVs.

One such accident involved a Tesla Model X on a California freeway on March 23, 2018. After the accident, the car burst into flames twice in one day, and once again less than a week later.

Many Tesla vehicles are equipped with lithium-based batteries, which cause aggressive fires that are difficult to put out.

In many cases documented by the NTSB, firefighters did not use the preferred method – copious amounts of water – to extinguish battery car fires. According to the survey released on October 7, 65% of fire departments listed lack of funding, awareness and training for EVs and related fires as “obstacles” to proper responses.

SourceAutomotive News


Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2017–Present vehicle models only.

However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.

To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.

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