Florida officials warn of fires after electric vehicles come into contact with salt water during Hurricane Helen
Florida officials have warned that some of the fires were caused by electric vehicles exposed to salt water during Hurricane Helen.
Tampa – The combination of storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico and lithium-ion batteries in vehicles proved to be a recipe for disaster, as Florida companies responded to numerous fires in the wake of Hurricane Helen.
Photos and videos from the Tampa Bay area show homes damaged and cars destroyed after highly flammable batteries were exposed to salt water.
Waves of 5-8 feet were reported across the metro during Helen, flooding hundreds of homes and raising the possibility of further destruction.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned that she has seen reports of cars and even scooters that came into contact with salt water and exploded in the days since landfall.
Helen is not the first hurricane to see an increase in EV-related wildfires, with similar incidents reported during Hurricanes Idalia and Ian, both powerful storms that impacted the Florida coastline.
New challenge for firefighters during hurricanes: Electric vehicle fires
Florida's chief financial officer and state fire marshal said electric vehicles disabled by Hurricane Ian are proving to be a new challenge for firefighters.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer and state fire marshal, has been a vocal voice of caution about the dangers electric vehicles face during floodwaters.
“We've seen several fires related to EVs since Hurricane Ian,” Patronis said previously. “We know that salt water from storm surges can compromise these batteries, causing fires that are not easily put out. The best thing fire teams can do is keep water in the batteries until the fuel runs out.”
Officials in Pinellas County, a hotbed of EV ownership, said it was issuing messages warning its residents about the dangers associated with flood waters.
“If you have an electric vehicle or golf cart and it is exposed to salt water, it needs to be moved at least 50 feet away from your home. These vehicles can catch fire in the coming days,” the county warned.
Firefighters say electric cars are significantly harder to put out than gas cars because of their lithium-ion batteries.
Electric vehicle catches fire in Florida after being flooded during Hurricane Idalia, firefighters say
Tesla, once the world's largest electric vehicle maker, has previously claimed that its vehicles have lower fire rates than other automobiles.
According to data from the US Department of Energy, Florida has the second highest number of registered electric vehicles in the country with more than 250,000.
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