In a stunning instance of irony, the brand new Stadtallendorf fire station in Hesse, Germany, was destroyed on October 16 by one of its own emergency vehicles. The vehicle, which contained lithium-ion batteries and an external power connection, apparently sparked the blaze, which firefighters were unable to extinguish.
Opened in January of 2024, the station was hailed as as “modern, innovative and state-of-the-art” by the Oberhessische Presse. However, the station apparently had no fire alarm system installed because experts considered it an unnecessary expense. Damages are estimated at 20 million to 24 million euros ($21 million to $26 million). Although approximately 170 firefighters fought the raging fire, 10 vehicles were lost.
“This is every firefighter’s nightmare. No one ever wants to have to put out their own fire station,” said District Fire Inspector Lars Schäfer.
Lithium-ion Dangers
While many media reports point out the lack of a fire alarm at the station, few report on the volatility and potential fire risk of the lithium-ion batteries associated with the electric emergency vehicles.
“While these batteries provide an effective and efficient source of power, the likelihood of them overheating, catching on fire, and even leading to explosions increases when they are damaged or improperly used, charged, or stored,” the National Fire Protection Association (NFLA) notes.
Electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries have become a crucial component of “net zero” policies that climate activists are pushing on governments worldwide in order to address anthropogenic climate change, which climate zealots claim is an existential threat to the planet. Unfortunately, the fire risk of such vehicles is being downplayed or ignored even as evidence that such vehicles are dangerous grows.
EV Fires
In the U.K., for instance, their have been several incidents of EV buses catching fire. Nearly 1,800 EV buses based in Manchester, Coventry, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Glasgow, and Aberdeen faced recalls due to fire risks. In London, at least three EV buses have caught fire in the past year.
In Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2021, 40 buses, both EVs and internal combustion, were destroyed in a depot. Although the cause of the fire was not officially known, the fire had to be put out using EV protocols, which are far more complex than normal fire containment methods.
Also recall that in July a significant stretch of I-15 between Barstow and Baker, California, had to be shut down for an extended period while a truck carrying commercial lithium-ion batteries overturned and burned. Thousands of motorists were stranded for days while the fire burned, sending toxic fumes skyward.
And now, in the ultimate irony, a fire station has burned down in a fire caused by an electric vehicle. By all accounts, the new fire station had all of the most up-to-date fire suppression equipment, yet it still burned. If a fire station so equipped cannot manage to extinguish a lithium-ion battery fire on its own premises, isn’t it time to admit that such vehicles aren’t such a safe and sustainable option after all?
