Firefighters explained the danger of extinguishing electric scooters on their own

In the Kostroma region today, November 7, rescuers and firefighters from the Ministry of Emergency Situations had to extinguish the fire in an apartment due to an electric scooter that was stored there that caught fire on its own. MK spoke with rescuers and users of these vehicles about preventing such incidents. It turned out that extinguishing the battery of an electric scooter yourself is almost impossible! You can die. Therefore, it is better to follow the operating rules.

As the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said, the cause of the disaster was moisture that got into the battery of the electric scooter. Rescuers had to evacuate ten residents of this entrance. The apartment, which was on fire due to a scooter, was extinguished by nine firefighters using three pieces of equipment. “In the apartment, the fire damaged personal belongings, furniture and household appliances,” the department provides details. “Now the 4-room apartment now requires renovation.”

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reminds three rules that will help avoid a fire: first, do not leave electric bicycles and electric scooters charging without attention; secondly, do not charge them at night; third, install a fire detector in your home that will sound an alarm when there is smoke.

One user cited a quote from the instruction manual for their electric scooter to this post, summarizing: “According to the manufacturer, an electric scooter should come with a concrete floor and smoke detectors in the room for storing and charging it. And a yellow fire extinguisher for extinguishing metal fires.”

“I think it is very important to train people in extinguishing such equipment, because this type of transport is convenient and has long been in demand, so you need to know how to act in such a situation,” Vladislav, an electric bicycle user, shared his opinion with MK, but planning to switch to an electric scooter. – I don’t think everyone knows how and how to properly extinguish lithium (the one in batteries). A class D fire extinguisher is, of course, convenient to store, but it is expensive, and not everyone can buy it for themselves. I know that you can simmer with sand or table salt; sand is a good option.

I think there could be many reasons for spontaneous combustion, such as falling off a scooter and damaging the battery. As for the charger, I think that if there is a BMS board (a protection board, a microcircuit that regulates the operation of the battery, controls charge-discharge between cells, protects against short circuits), then it should stop the flow of current to the battery. I can assume that if the battery was assembled independently from cells, then the banks themselves may be of poor quality (I’m talking about batteries).

I don’t often hear about electric scooters lighting up on their own, but such cases do happen. Therefore, I believe that such equipment must be checked according to all quality standards, including fire safety, and it is imperative to follow the instructions during operation.

We discussed this topic and safety rules in detail with rescuer-firefighter from the Republic of Tatarstan Rashit.

“We don’t officially have methods for extinguishing electric scooters, but firefighters are studying the experience of foreign colleagues,” a firefighter told MK. – We are not studying extinguishing electric scooters, but electric vehicles in general, since fires in all of them occur in the same place, this is the battery (battery), and it is not easy to extinguish it.

The firefighter recalled that the battery of electric scooters consists of lithium-ion batteries, “they short circuit with each other and a fire occurs.”

– A short circuit can occur due to overcharging, or simply a conductor (semiconductor) has appeared between the batteries, or poor assembly, or water has entered. For example, electric scooters may have poor waterproofing (or none at all) or may wear out over time. Of course, mechanical damage cannot be ruled out.

We, firefighters, became interested in this topic due to the spread of electric cars. It is possible to extinguish a battery with water, but it is extremely difficult; a huge volume of water is needed. Moreover, with the certainty that it will reach the source of fire inside the battery, simply watering it will not bring results; the temperature of the combustion of the battery may cause the water to explode. When extinguishing such vehicles, we supply a high-pressure barrel – a large volume of water – inside. This is dangerous, so we put out the fire with all our equipment and put on a DASV (compressed air breathing apparatus, something like a scuba tank).

Therefore, giving advice to people on how to extinguish a battery is not safe. This should be done by professionals.

But if anything, it is better to cover the scooter with earth than with water. In the event of a fire, it is advisable to disconnect it from charging and cover it with a cloth to reduce the flow of air and slow down the spread of fire. When the battery burns, it will intensely release toxic substances, the inhalation of which can render you unconscious. You need to evacuate as quickly as possible!

Here, rather, we need some operating tips. An electric scooter should not be used with damage to the battery area; it should not be left charging without attention (you should not go out on business or go to bed, as some users do, leaving it charging at night!). It is advisable not to charge near flammable substances, or in a cluttered room…

“Personally, I would extinguish it if it caught fire, simply by immersing it entirely in water, if there is such an opportunity (these are barrels, ponds),” the fireman summed up. – Abroad, this is exactly the method I use when extinguishing notorious Tesla electric cars. The electric car is immersed in a container of water for several days.

We conclude: if the battery catches fire, cover it with a cloth and run away, calling the fire department…