Florida Official Warns: Thousands Of Flooded Electric Vehicles “At Risk Of Fire” After Hurricane

Florida’s top financial officer and fire marshal, Jimmy Patronis, warned there are huge fire risks across areas of Florida that were submerged by Hurricane Ian due to waterlogged electric vehicles spontaneously erupting into flames. He warned that some of these EVs have already caught fire while many more are still at risk.

“Still assessing the fire risks of EVs from Ian. Based on registrations, there were 4,100 + EVs in the area inundated by surge. (That’s registered, not confirmed impacted. Asked the manufacturers for info.) Here’s a yard where the EVs are separated in case of fire. Lots of Teslas,” Patronis tweeted. 

Still assessing the fire risks of EVs from Ian. Based on registrations, there were 4,100 + EVs in the area inundated by surge. (That’s registered, not confirmed impacted. Asked the manufacturers for info.) Here’s a yard where the EVs are separated in case of fire. Lots of Teslas. pic.twitter.com/v18tIVVfbk

— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 21, 2022

Earlier this month, Patronis tweeted: “There’s a ton of EVs disabled from Ian. As those batteries corrode, fires start.” 

We immediately picked up on his tweet earlier this month and wrote a note on flooded Teslas exploding titled “Flooded Electric Vehicles Spontaneously Catch On Fire In Florida After Hurricane.” 

There’s a ton of EVs disabled from Ian. As those batteries corrode, fires start. That’s a new challenge that our firefighters haven’t faced before. At least on this kind of scale. #HurricaneIan pic.twitter.com/WsErgA6evO

— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 6, 2022

Since we first reported the issue, there have been many questions about how many EVs were submerged. Now it appears there could be hundreds, if not thousands. And at any point, these vehicles could erupt in flames. 

We outlined one year ago that “First Responders Aren’t Prepared For Lithium Fires When Teslas Crash And Uncontrollably Burn.”

Patronis pointed out that firefighters in Florida aren’t prepared for lithium battery fires. Local governments have already towed flooded EVs into sandy fields to avoid the risk of fire harming people and/or burning down building structures.