A truck hauling a load of electric vehicle batteries rolled over in Los Angeles and it saw an explosion following the accident, which led to the batteries catching fire and burning for an extended period. It took a long time for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) marshals to extinguish the EV batteries that caught on fire, with some still burning until now, according to reports.
The LAFD also claimed that it was expected that the fire would run for as much as 24 to 48 hours, and has since led to authorities closing off the Port of Los Angeles and the nearby Port of Long Beach.
EV Batteries Caught Fire After Truck Tipped Over in Los Angeles
Unknown electric vehicle batteries caught fire after the truck that carries it tipped over in Los Angeles, and according to The Verge, it led to significant closures in nearby areas. A nearby towing service company shared drone footage moments after the truck rolled over to its side, where its battery cargo exploded after the accident, sharing the 60,000 lbs. of lithium batteries' mishap.
Firefighters responded on the scene, and LAFD claimed that it would last around 24 to 48 hours before they completely declared the fire to be out at 10 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday night.
The cargo, which has a load of 60,000 lbs. of EV batteries, has been a challenge for the firefighters to put out, mainly as large amounts of lithium battery concentration are infamously highly flammable.
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Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Bridge Closed Due to Fire
According to Caltrans District 7, this fire effectively shut down the Port of Los Angeles, where the incident occurred, also affecting the nearby Vincent Thomas Bridge on State Route 47.
For the entire day, it also affected the nearby Port of Long Beach operations, centering on Pier A and Pier T. Earlier today, the California Department of Transportation shared that the fire has been successfully extinguished but has not yet reopened the roads due to cleaning up of the hazardous materials.
EV Battery Fires are Dangerous and Can Burn Long
Lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries, used in most electric vehicle battery packs, are notorious for being flammable. Once they catch fire, it takes significant efforts and methods to extinguish it. This is why when fire risk issues are discovered on EVs, automakers are quick to recall it to fix or replace it, with BMW recently experiencing this problem.
There are still limited fire suppression systems among electric vehicles, one of which could successfully prevent an electric vehicle battery fire from going out of hand as it detects it. That being said, many developments in power cell technology aim to help these issues, especially with the promising solid-state batteries.
While there are cases where electric vehicles spontaneously catch fire, this can be rooted in poor car maintenance or potential issues that an EV has, but manufacturers have yet to see. Another cause is accidents like those in Los Angeles, which led to a significantly extended closure of two ports and a bridge that hindered its daily operations.
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