Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — With electric cars growing in popularity around the country, local firefighters are trying to prepare for when things go terribly wrong.
The Lynn Fire Department is among many concerned with electric car fires. The huge lithium batteries that power the vehicles burn a lot hotter and longer than regular gasoline wrecks.
Lynn Fire Spokesman Joseph Zukas said a regular car fire would take 700 to a thousand gallons of water to put out. Electric cars need thousands of gallons: Zukas said one electric car fire in another state took 25,000 gallons to finally put it out.
Zukas is reaching out to other departments in New York and Florida to see how they deal with the problem.
"We see a potential issue and we're just trying to get ahead of the curve."
Lynn fire got a taste of a lithium battery fire earlier this year when an electric scooter went up in flames.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) has more:
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