UP IN FLAMES
EV disaster as devastating fire sparked by faulty battery completely destroys five cars at major airport
DISASTER struck at a major airport yesterday morning as a fire reportedly sparked by a faulty EV battery tore through five cars.
An electric car has been blamed for the blaze after being left in the airport's car park.
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Firefighters rushed to Sydney Airport in Australia at around 11.30am (8.30pm local time) yesterday as the inferno took hold.
According to , authorities confirmed that a lithium-ion battery was the cause.
Four other cars were left burnt out as the fire spread rapidly.
Photos from the scene show twisted metal and scorched bodywork, while broken glass litters the ground.
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Fortunately, the fire did not reach the thick hedgerow behind the cars or spread to any heavily populated part of the busy international airport.
It is believed that the battery was being stored next to the car it was used to power but had been detached from it.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry of Fire and Rescue New South Wales said that he understood the battery had been removed from the car after being damaged.
He said: "If lithium batteries do suffer mechanical damage or a knock they are susceptible to ignite.
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"Our advice to anyone with an electric vehicle that has a knock or is not operating the way it should is to get it into a dealership and have the technicians look at it."
It is the latest in a string of high-profile fires connected to lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium is a highly reactive element and can easily ignite, especially when exposed to water.
Just last month 2700 cars were melted by a battery fire on a cargo ship transporting EVs, causing millions in damage.
And in July, a £44,000 Tesla burst into flames on a residential London street.
EV battery fires are notoriously hard to put out as water cannot be used and the fact that they burn very hot and very fast.
As The Sun's Jeremy Clarkson wrote in July, in some cases these fires are more like explosions than, say, a house fire.
Nonetheless, Superintendent Dewberry warned that electric car batteries were built to "rigorous" standards and that most fire risks came from batteries in e-scooters or e-bikes.
He said: "You can’t compare the batteries that are in electric vehicles with smaller power tools, e-scooters and bikes. They are completely different.
"People need to be aware that vehicle lithium batteries are much lower risk."
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It comes after an EV owner explained why he felt that they are ruining the future for his children.
Meanwhile, the UK's EV charging chaos was unveiled as millions fight over fewer than 6,000 charging points
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