Multiple crews tackle electric vehicle fire in Douglas County
DENVER (KDVR) — An electric vehicle fire on South Parker Road required multiple agencies to suppress the blaze, according to several agencies’ social media posts.
As of 11:30 a.m., the South Metro Fire Rescue reported that both directions of the roadway were closed due to the fire, which was reported between North Pinery Parkway and South Pinery Parkway.
Flames were reported to have spread to nearby grass but crews were able to contain them. The Douglas County Sheriff reported at 12:30 p.m. that the fire had been extinguished.
At about 12:45 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue reported that one northbound lane had reopened to traffic, but crews were still working to get the electric vehicle towed to a safe location and reopen the southbound lanes.
According to social media posts, Franktown Fire, the Douglas County Sheriff, the Parker Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol and South Metro Fire Rescue were on scene of the electric vehicle fire.
No injuries were reported in the fire, but the agencies asked drivers to find alternate routes.
According to Thompson Safety, a company that provides safety solutions for companies near Houston, electric vehicle fires present a lot of danger to crews working to put the fire out due to the presence of a lithium-ion battery, which is usually what catches fire. The batteries are “prone to reigniting,” according to the company because lithium has a high ignition point that needs to be “cooled to a sub-ignition temperature.”
Using a regular Class D fire extinguisher to extinguish a lithium-ion fire is not the best idea, either; according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, lithium-ion battery fires can be extinguished by a large volume of water to suppress the flames and cool the battery.
The South Metro Fire Rescue hazmat team used an electric vehicle fire blanket to smother the fire, removing access to oxygen that was fueling the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
