CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield County firefighters spent nearly four hours extinguishing and cooling a burning electric SUV after it overturned on Walton Bluff Parkway, highlighting the extra resources required for electric-vehicle (EV) fires.
In a Facebook post, the department stated that firefighters from Station 5, the Fire Marshal’s Office and the department’s Unmanned Aerial Systems team were dispatched to the crash on June 16, which ruptured the vehicle’s battery pack, igniting a stubborn blaze.
Using a drone equipped with a thermal-imaging camera, firefighters monitored battery-cell temperatures long after flames were knocked down, confirming hot spots that could reignite.
“EV batteries are encased in protective shells, making them harder to cool and extending on-scene time compared with gasoline vehicles, which are typically cleared in under an hour,” the department said in the social media post.
No injuries were reported.
Chesterfield firefighters have trained on lithium-ion battery incidents since 2021, and Virginia will require all firefighters statewide to complete similar training by year’s end.
