A 45% increase in registrations last year… Risk of electric shock if there is a fire
Portable water tank, effective suspension
“After charging in the underground car park, move it to the ground to prevent major upset”
On the morning of the 23rd, a fire broke out in an electric car parked in an apartment parking lot in Dalseo-gu, Daegu. Provided by Daegu Fire Department
Concern over electric vehicles is growing as electric vehicles awaiting recall due to battery defects catch fire. In Daegu, where the spread of electric vehicles is spreading, electric vehicle fires have occurred three times in the past month.
According to the Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters, an electric car caught fire in an apartment in Seongdang-dong, Dalseo-gu, at around 1:16 am on the 23rd, causing damage to one vehicle and burning surrounding vehicles. After receiving the report, the fire department dispatched to the scene and extinguished the flames in about two hours using a suffocating fire extinguisher cover and a portable fire extinguisher tank.
An officer from the apartment management office that caught fire said, “The electric car that caught fire is a vehicle that is about to apply for a battery recall recently.”
As of the end of last month, this is already the third electric vehicle fire. On the 29th of last month, a fire broke out in an electric car that was being maintained at a vehicle service center in Bisan-dong, Seo-gu, and on the 19th of this month, an electric car parked in front of a cafe. building in Yuga-eup, Dalseong-gun caught fire and extinguished in about an hour.
Concern is increasing as electric vehicle fires occur one after the other in the area. The supply of electric vehicles in Daegu continues to increase. According to the Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters, at the end of last year, there were 20,228 electric vehicles registered in Daegu. This is an increase of 45.0% from 13,954 units in 2021.
When an electric vehicle catches fire, the temperature of the battery rises rapidly. Electrical shock accidents and chemical spills can happen, so professional prevention is necessary. Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters delivered 11 suffocating fire extinguishing covers and 5 mobile fire extinguishing tanks needed to extinguish electric vehicle fires earlier this year. In particular, a mobile fire extinguishing tank that fills water up to the height of the battery by placing a water barrier around the electric vehicle can effectively prevent electric vehicle fires in a thermal runaway condition.
However, there is a limitation that it is difficult for a mobile water tank to enter in the event of an electric vehicle fire in an underground parking lot. For this reason, some point out that electric vehicle charging facilities should be installed in open spaces. At the 299th extraordinary session of the Daegu City Council held last month, Hwang Soon-ja, a member of the assembly, said, “It is difficult to react at first in a closed space like an underground parking lot.”
Kim Joong-jin, co-representative of the Daegu Citizens Coalition for Safe Life Practice, said, “It is urgent to create a separate parking lot for electric vehicles on the ground and provide charging facilities, and new safety standards are urgently needed to prepare . for fires in the lower part of the car park.”
