Two-Hour EV Operation: Fire Crews Contain Battery Blaze and Submerge Vehicle for Safe Transport

Westampton TWP, NJ - First responders deployed specialized modern firefighting protocols Wednesday, managing a high-hazard electric vehicle battery fire through controlled burn techniques and post-incident submersion containment.

On September 9, personnel from Westampton Township Emergency Services were dispatched on mutual aid to assist the Willingboro Fire Department in Burlington County with an active electric vehicle (EV) fire.

Operating under modern tactical standards, responding crews implemented the latest UL Research Institutes guidelines for handling lithium-ion battery thermal runaway. Rather than applying ineffective, high-volume water that could prolong chemical reactions, firefighters established defensive boundaries to protect the surrounding environment, allowing the vehicle’s high-voltage battery cells to safely free-burn while preventing fire propagation to other vehicle components.

Once the compromised battery cells fully expended their energy and were expelled, responders coordinated with Flynn's Towing & Recovery to hoist the vehicle into a heavy-duty container/dumpster to safeguard against potential delayed thermal reignition during transit to a secure facility.

The specialized incident mitigation took approximately two and a half hours to safely resolve, ensuring zero structural spread or personnel exposure to hazardous battery off-gassing.