How will Albuquerque firefighters battle EV fires?

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Car fires are one of the most common calls that the men and women of Albuquerque Fire Rescue respond to. While the department deals with vehicle fires every single day, they have yet to encounter an electric vehicle fire in Albuquerque. As EVs continue to grow in popularity, Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) acknowledges that it's only a matter of time before they face one in the Duke City, and they know it will require a different approach.
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'Just having these crews trained to recognize an EV or a hybrid vehicle versus a typical internal combustion engine vehicle and approaching them a little differently is crucial,' Lieutenant Jason Fejer explained.
This different approach is necessary because of the lithium-ion batteries found in EVs. 'People are reporting that to extinguish some of these electric vehicle fires, it can take tens of thousands of gallons of water,' said Lt. Fejer.
So, how do you put out a lithium battery fire without using excessive amounts of water? The answer is a specialized fire blanket. The blanket is not meant to smother the flames, but AFR states it works effectively on EVs just as it does on gas-powered cars. 'When these batteries start off-gassing, they produce a gas that's flammable. So, if we can keep that gas from igniting and slow down the burning process around the battery pack, it helps to mitigate the situation.'
Just like with gas vehicles, the department emphasizes the importance of proper maintenance and monitoring of car battery packs.
While AFR remains alert for EV battery fires, the most common lithium battery incidents they currently respond to are linked to power sources in phones, laptops, and tablets.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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