As the Los Angeles fires are brought under control and thoughts turn to recovery, out of the ashes rises a new safety consideration; the handling of fire-damaged electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries.
While the risks of secondary ignition, electrocution or inhalation of toxic off-gases is low, there are new challenges that are not yet fully understood, but which should be factored into recovery operations.
One leading cause of EV battery fires globally is exposure to fire
California is known for its world-leading policies that support all forms of electrified transport, and electric cars reign on the roads of Los Angeles. The famous Petersen’s Automotive Museum displays early electric models and regularly hosts Silent Drives on their sun-drenched rooftop carpark. Cybertrucks, Rivians and F150 Lightnings are commonplace, and your Uber driver will most likely pick you up in a Cadillac Lyriq or Mustang Mach-E. This is as it should be. EVs are a natural fit in this urban environment, and are built to strict regulations that make them inherently safe to drive, charge and store in normal, daily use.
However, where an EV has sustained damage such as exposure to extreme wildfire conditions, those safety systems may become compromised.
While no one could have predicted the scale of the fire that engulfed parts of southern California in January 2025, the number of EVs affected presents a new and dangerous challenge for recovery efforts.
Our global research indicates the leading causes of EV battery fires are road traffic collision, submersion in salt water, battery fault during manufacture and exposure to another fire.
Exposure to another fire includes:
The EV became involved in a building fire that started elsewhere
It was caught in a bush/wild fire
Was the victim of an arson attack
Something caught fire inside the car, like a dropped cigarette or overheating mobile phone battery
Here in Australia (where EV FireSafe is based) exposure to another fire is actually a leading cause of verified EV battery fires, accounting for five of our ten incidents. Three were in home garages (that caught fire due to other causes), and two arson attacks.
What’s an EV battery and how many EVs are in the wildfires?
Up to Q3 2024, there were approximately 41,195 EVs* (full electric and plug-in hybrid electric) and 525 hydrogen vehicles registered just in the Pasadena area, which was one of the areas worst impacted in these fires.
All EVs have a traction battery pack, which contains multiple lithium-ion battery cells. Some have hundreds of cells, many have thousands.
When a cell in the battery pack is damaged - eg. through prolonged exposure to excessive heat - it can short circuit, causing the cell to heat up uncontrollably; this is known as 'thermal runaway'.
As the heat builds, the tiny droplets of liquid electrolyte inside the cell start to boil, eventually becoming vapour which bursts out of the cell. This appears from underneath the EV as a large white cloud of gases that are highly toxic and flammable. Back inside the pack the heat is spreading to other cells, which then follow the same process. This is known as ‘thermal runaway’ propagation
If the gases ignite, then the additional heat may cause thermal runaway propagation to speed up and spread through the pack.
Accessing the cells is the main challenge of firefighting EV battery fires
The reason EV battery fires can be such a challenging incident for firefighters is due to the inaccessibility of the battery pack which contains the overheating cells. The cells are located inside the pack, encased in multiple layers of protective metals and it’s almost impossible for firefighters to get water directly onto them. Spraying water onto the outside of the pack is usually ineffective in stopping the spread of thermal runaway.
There’s also a risk of an EV battery catching fire a second or multiple times. If a pack has only partially burnt out, there remains live cells. They may lie dormant for a while, but a secondary ignition can occur while the EV is being removed from the incident scene, on a tow truck or in the salvage yard. Our research indicates secondary ignition occurs in around 5% of incidents.
Very rarely, there may also be a delayed ignition. This typically occurs following submersion in salty flood water, such as Hurricane Ian, Helene and Milton in Florida in recent years, where the cells take some time to corrode and short circuit. At this stage, we haven’t been able to verify a delayed ignition due to exposure to fire.
The five main risks of fire-damaged EVs in the LA wildfires
The best scenario for EVs caught in the LA fire is the packs are completely burnt out. In this scenario, all cells are ‘dead’, there’s very little fire risk left and they can be moved, stored and salvaged fairly easily.
But, this is unlikely to be the case for the majority of EVs involved in the fire, and there are five main safety considerations for recovery teams, tow, salvage, repair and wrecking.
1 . Identifying partially damaged EV battery packs and risk of secondary ignition:
Where EVs have been scorched, lightly fire damaged, or even burnt down to sills, the robust protection of the battery pack and module casings may mean the pack is damaged but unburnt, or partially burnt out.
In these cases, the EV battery is still a fire risk.
The complicating factor is there is no timeline for this risk to subside. We’ve been able to verify a secondary ignition event 68 days post the initial incident. Anecdotally, we’ve heard of EV packs catching fire up to 11 months after submersion in salt water.
Our experience is that even where an EV may look completely gutted, the battery pack protection, management systems and other factors such as state of charge, chemistry and form type, are often enough for cells to be intact with measurable voltage.
We have seen this repeatedly, including a recent teardown where live cells were found 8 months post-incident, so it's important that recovery operators try to determine the state of the battery pack prior to and during removal.
EV FireSafe takeaway tip for identifying partially damaged EV packs:
Look for: Heavily fire damaged sills, battery vents at rear or clear damage to underside of vehicle when lifted in the air.
2. EV high voltage electrocution risk
Live cells mean live voltage. While electrocution risk is very low with the DC (direct current) systems used in EVs due to in-built safety and shut down systems, there is still a risk for responders.
Fire damage may have exposed orange HV cables or components, and contact with these should be avoided.
Where battery packs have burnt away to expose lithium-ion battery cells still contained within the pack casing, the combined amperage can be enough to cause a fatal shock. In some of the burnt EV’s that EV FireSafe has torn down, remaining voltage has been measured between the battery pack and the body or chassis of the vehicle. This voltage is considered enough to injure recovery personnel tasked with moving the vehicle, unless they have suitable training and personal protective equipment.
The risk increases sharply where EVs were left connected to charging at the time of the fire, as the charger itself is powered by AC (alternating current) grid energy, a scenario that will be common in the many private homes razed by fire.
Similarly, it multiplies where solar and battery storage is involved, posing a significantly higher risk of electrocution to recovery personnel.
EV FireSafe takeaway tip for HV electrocution risk:
Be cautious of: Exposed orange high voltage cables on EVs. Any neighbourhoods where power is still connected or has been reconnected and where EVs may be still plugged in - shut down power at distribution board before handling the vehicle.
3. Recovered EVs must be triaged and quarantined
Images of a huge field containing tens of EVs spread out metres apart made the headlines following Hurricane Ian in the US in 2022. While this system worked to avoid fire spread if a secondary ignition event occurred, it may not be practical in LA due to the sheer number of fire-impacted EVs and the availability of salvage yard space.
To assist tow and salvage operations, EV FireSafe developed the EVABC™ process to triage damaged EVs by conducting a thermal and visual check to determine an expected level of internal battery pack damage. A Green EVABC™ can be stored carefully in general lots, an Amber rating would result in additional fire protection precautions carried out, while Red EVs treated with utmost respect, immediately quarantined and/or sent for battery shredding.
The EVABC™, which is based on our extensive research and experience, provides operators and insurance assessors with a framework to manage their safety, and that of the tow, salvage, repair and waste operators handling the EV along the chain of custody.
Additionally, the EVABC™ system provides a range of quarantine methods for large salvage operators, or where space is at a premium.
EV FireSafe takeaway tip for EV fire triage and quarantine:
Consider: Heavily fire damaged EVs should be grouped together in a 'burn out' area. Other methods may be to seperate at least 5-15m, or use concrete barriers as physical seperations.
4. Finding global EV fire experts who know what we’re doing
Although wildfires are historically common, EV technology is new.
There is only one precedent; the Lahaina wildfire in 2023, following which crews took 6 months to systematically remove and manually destroy 97 EV battery packs and over 200 battery storage systems from the sensitive natural environment of Hawaii.
However, when compared to the sheer scale of the LA fire, the heroic Hawaii recovery process somewhat pales in comparison.
Our team at EV FireSafe also have extensive experience, as do a small number of other operations, through systematic teardowns of burnt EV battery packs.
We’ve managed the recovery, storage and tear down of burnt EVs following real world incidents. These were conducted for the purpose of origin and cause determination for fire investigation learnings, and involved the complete removal and exposure of the damaged battery cells, a process that can take several days.
To conduct an exercise like an EV battery pack teardown requires significant risk, protection and forensic input by our highly qualified team which includes a fire investigator, risk assessor and technical specialist who is also a qualified mechanic and EV HV technician. We are also all firefighters, highly experienced in lithium-ion battery fires.
While it's unlikely the battery packs from EVs in the LA fires would be systematically removed, planning and conducting any separation of packs from vehicle body for faster waste processing should be treated similarly.
EV FireSafe takeaway tip for finding EV experts:
Look for: Emergency responders experienced in EV removal and disposal.
5. EV recovery safe work processes are yet to established
How recovery operators best protect themselves and others while removing fire-damaged EVs from disaster zones is not yet contained within global standard operating procedures.
In California, these processes will require dynamic development as recovery operations proceed. Luckily for the state, the Battalion Commander heavily involved in the Lahaina recovery, which was led by the US EPA, is also a local and the combined learnings will no doubt support recovery personnel.
In addition to initial identification and marking up of damaged EVs, pathways need to be established for careful removal to quarantine, then transport to responsible disposal waste centres who are set up to accept damaged lithium-ion battery cells. Given the potential scale of the operation, quarantine timeframes may be prolonged.
Large scale fire-damage to EVs is a scenario EV FireSafe has been gearing up for here in Australia, particularly given the similarities of Australian bushfires and Californian wildfires, as well as the increasing prevalence of fire in other regions of the world.
We have a specialist recovery team with appropriate firefighting personal protective clothing and equipment, full risk, operations and evacuation plans, and extensive experience and training, such as in HV systems, meaning we can deploy at short notice to support insurance assessors, emergency agencies and private companies on the ground.
It’s vital for recovery operations to safely process fire-damaged EVs, otherwise there is an unacceptable risk to health and life from fire, or exposure to gases, chemicals or materials.
Along with the learnings from the Lahaina recovery process, those established for the LA wildfires will form the foundation of global best practice.
EV FireSafe takeaway tip for EV fire safe working:
Consider: Adapting existing standard operating procedures and sharing best practice across teams.
While EVs damaged in wildfires are a new risk for the global emergency response community, it’s not an insurmountable challenge. Data and experience based awareness of the risks for recovery and secondary response operators, such as tow drivers, salvage yards and waste stream, will support the process as recovery efforts kick into high gear.
EV FireSafe is ready to support EV recovery operations in the Californian wildfires with data-driven knowledge and first hand experience.
EV FireSafe is funded by the Australian Department of Defence to research electric vehicle battery fires and emergency response. Our team, made up of firefighters, electrification, incident management and research experts, also support safe transition to EVs for companies in the aerodrome, mining, shipping, retail, military and other specialist sectors.
Our research is published at www.evfiresafe.com and eLearning at www.evfiresafe.training
Contact us via emma@evfiresafe.com