Hurricane Helene’s cataclysmic path brought historic storm surges, record rainfall and destructive flooding from Florida to the Carolinas and Appalachia.
But all the storm’s wind and rain were accompanied by a surge of fires across multiple states that officials said appear to be caused by overheating and sometimes exploding lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, golf carts, electric bikes and scooters as well as other devices.
Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if they are exposed to salt or freshwater, said Chad Hawkins, assistant chief deputy with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“It doesn’t matter. It shorts them out,” Hawkins said of the batteries, noting that it takes “copious amounts” of water to put out lithium battery fires.
“It takes a lot of water to extinguish them,” he said.
Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis on Tuesday said there have been 16 fires during and after Hurricane Helene attributed to lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla and other electric vehicles, golf carts and other vehicles and devices.
Florida officials are investigating more structure and vehicle fires to see if more in storm-impacted areas were caused by electric batteries.
Patronis is worried that more lithium batteries could catch fire or explode after being exposed to floodwaters from the hurricane.
He urged owners to remove, properly dispose of or have towed away electric vehicle golf carts and other devices that have been exposed to floodwaters after record storm surges deluged communities and neighborhoods along Florida’s west coast.
Patronis, who serves as Florida’s CFO, said the hurricane’s flooding can make “EV’s a dangerous fire threat” and called storm surge-exposed lithium-ion batteries “ticking time bombs.”
He stressed that electric batteries should not be put in the trash and to move EVs outdoors and roll down their windows and open doors to allow potentially flammable gas to escape.
Other hurricane fires may have been caused by downed power lines and flooded electrical systems.
North Carolina Fire Marshal Brian Taylor encourages residents and businesses to stay away from downed power lines and to unplug appliances to safeguard against power surges.
Fire and public safety officials in states hit by Helene are also encouraging residents and businesses to have electrical systems inspected before rebooting power after the storm and its outages.
The fires added to emergency workloads of fire and other public safety departments already responding to water rescues from historic storm surges and dangerous flooding.
“We responded to over 1,100 calls for service from the start of the storm until 4 p.m. yesterday,” said John Klinefelter, division chief for Clearwater Fire Rescue in Florida on Wednesday. The popular tourist destination saw record storm surge from Helene, which was a Category 4 hurricane when it stormed ashore in Florida.
Klinefelter said his department responded to 37 structure fires with at least two involved lithium batteries with more incidents being reviewed for their causes.
“This information is based on the person who called 911 because we could not send fire inspectors out. One of the structure fires was an electric bicycle store located on the beach,” he said.
Other communities in Florida and other states hit by the hurricane also saw fire during and after the storm.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue responded to 47 vehicle fires and 7 structure fires from Sept. 26 to 28 on top of 86 water rescues and 1,744 emergency 911 calls, said spokeswoman Ashlie Handy.
She had some tips for avoiding electric fires — including those involving lithium batteries and electrical systems.
“When a storm is on its way, we encourage residents to prepare their homes by unplugging appliances from electrical outlets and moving them to a higher location. We recommend moving electric vehicles and other lithium-ion battery-powered devices away from areas that may see storm surge associated with the storm. We see most of our structure fires after the storm has passed. That is because when salt water comes in contact with exposed electrical systems, it becomes a fire hazard. The best thing someone can do to avoid an electrical fire is to turn off the main circuit breaker to their home,” she said.
North of Tampa, Hernando County Fire Rescue responded to 7 structure fires, 4 of which involved lithium batteries, said Nick Brandt, communications manager for the agency.
“Tips for future storms would be to remove lithium batteries from flood prone locations and if batteries are submerged in salt water, move them to a location at least 50 feet away from any structures or vehicles to prevent further damage in the event they fail and cause a fire,” Brandt said.
Handy and Hawkins also said lithium batteries should be moved away from potential flooding and unplugged from charging sources.
That might be possible with some golf carts and other devices but not with Teslas and other electric vehicles, Hawkins said.
He said overcharging lithium batteries in all types of devices — large and small — can cause them to catch fire.
“They can overcharge. They can overheat, they can pressurize and can explode,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins also said consumers should make sure they are buying legitimately tested batteries and charges, warning that some overseas products can be faulty and cause fires.
He also said not to charge electric batteries in extreme cold (under 32 degrees Fahrenheit) or extreme heat (above 105 degrees Fahrenheit), not to just let devices always charge over long periods of time and to be at home when recharging vehicles or devices.
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