Firefighters work electric vehicle fire at Edmonds car dealership

Firefighters responded to an electric vehicle fire at an Edmonds car dealership Thursday morning, according to South County Fire.

The fire was reported around 10 a.m. in an unoccupied electric car at the dealership located at State Route 104 and Highway 99.

The car, which was parked about 50 feet away from any buildings, was engulfed in smoke when firefighters arrived.

Crews used water to cool the fire and deployed a new tool, an EV fire blanket, to contain toxic fumes. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The Department of Ecology was notified of potential water runoff impacts. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

The car, still covered with the fire blanket, was loaded onto a flatbed tow truck and moved to a nearby lot.

Firefighters continued to monitor the car throughout the afternoon, and plans are underway to move it to a location equipped to handle electric vehicle fires.

Due to the challenges associated with fires in vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can reignite and produce toxic smoke, this fire was upgraded to a second-alarm hazardous materials call.

The response included 15 fire units, including a hazardous materials truck, and more than 30 firefighters.

Typically, a fire in a non-electric vehicle usually requires just one fire engine with a crew of three.

Authorities emphasized the importance of informing firefighters if a car fire involves an electric vehicle so that the appropriate resources can be sent to handle the situation.

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