EVs submerged by Hurricane Helene burn down Florida houses

Several houses washed by water from Hurricane Helene burned down after water-submerged electric vehicle (EV) batteries caught fire.

As if the Category 4 hurricane didn’t cause enough damage, multiple fires caused by EVs such as Tesla added insult to injury. According to Florida’s chief financial officer and fire marshal Jimmy Patronis, at least six homes burned down as a result of EV-caused fires.

Patronis said during a press conference about the impact of Hurricane Helene that at least 16 similar incidents involving EV-caused fires were registered. One of the incidents, recorded on an in-house camera, showed a Tesla that caught fire.

“One of the threats that we’re very concerned with is lithium-ion battery technology that’s EVs, golf carts, and scooters. These devices do not mix well with salt water,” Patronis said.

Electric Vehicles utilize lithium-ion batteries, which can short-circuit if standing saltwater enters their terminals, causing a runaway thermal effect.

Similar effects were noticed in 2022 after Hurricane Ian struck Florida. At the time, Patronis noticed that firefighters were dealing with igniting EVs.

Last year, a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles from Germany to Egypt caught fire, resulting in one fatality. The ship’s owner, a Panama-registered company at the time, said an electric car in the cargo was suspected to have caused the flames to erupt.