The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Multiple fire crews attended the scene of an electric vehicle fire in Bethlehem, Tauranga last night.
An electric truck caught fire in the carpark outside Kmart at Bethlehem Town Centre, causing large clouds of billowing smoke to drift across the surrounding area, blanketing a section of Bethlehem Rd and parts of the Bethlehem Town Centre.
Nearby shops were closed, with bystanders saying they were evacuated from Kmart, Dominos and Burger Fuel.
The electric truck on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday. Photo / Therese Hamahona
“We received a call at 4.50pm,” Fire and Emergency New Zealand northern shift manager Garreth Lewis said.
“And in addition to that,Lewis said a hazmat unit was also sent as the fire involved hazardous substances.
“The hazardous materials unit have special equipment to deal with these sorts of incidents.”
People were evacuated from nearby stores after an electric truck caught fire in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark on Saturday. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Lewis said the firefighters had to drown the batteries to allow them to cool.
A masked volunteer firefighter at the scene said the smoke was difficult to work with.
The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke. Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.
Bethlehem Rd was blocked from the first entrance into Bethlehem Town Centre to Westermoreland Rise and locals have been advised to close their house windows and stay indoors.
A detour was put in place from State Highway 2 into Bethlehem Rd, into Bethlehem Town Centre, then Te Paeroa Rd, then Cambridge Rd and back on to Bethlehem Rd.
Bethlehem Road was cordoned off while fire crews attended the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Lewis said a fire investigator also attended.
“They will do their investigation into the cause of the fire.”
The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
EV truck fires are particularly intense due to the vehicles’ large battery size and complex failure modes. Once a fire starts, it becomes a prolonged operation due to the chemical and structural nature of lithium-ion cells.
The electric truck on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo / Therese Hamahona
Thermal runaway can occur during fast charging or overcharging, when one cell in the lithium-ion battery overheats and causes a chain reaction, igniting neighbouring cells.
Once thermal runaway begins, the battery essentially feeds its own fire, making it difficult to suppress with conventional firefighting methods.
Water doesn’t work well on these types of fire, as thousands of litres of water may be required to cool the battery sufficiently, and even after appearing extinguished, batteries can reignite as internal temperatures spike again.
A police officer guards the scene after the electric truck caught fire at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Burning EV batteries can release toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride, requiring firefighters to take extra precautions.
