Electric vehicle fires complicate LA cleanup after $40B losses
Burned electric vehicles are hindering the work of emergency services cleaning up Los Angeles after massive fires. Toxins from lithium-ion batteries require specialized equipment to extinguish them. Losses from the catastrophe amount to $40 billion, according to Bloomberg.
The cleanup of Los Angeles after the devastating fires that broke out on January 7 is ongoing. However, the efforts are hampered due to complications caused by toxins leaking from burned electric vehicles, hybrid cars, and home battery storage systems.
Jacqui Irwin, a member of the California State Assembly, emphasized that many cars in the evacuation area had lithium batteries. “We heard from firefighters that these lithium batteries burned much longer near houses,” she explained in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to insurance agency estimates, losses amount to $40 billion. Billionaire and BlackRock Inc. CEO Larry Fink warned that the city's rebuilding could take time. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated $100 million for fire damage mitigation.
Battery Issues
Bloomberg, based on data from S&P Global Mobility, reports that as of October last year, there were over 431,000 Teslas registered in the Los Angeles area. Their market share locally was three times larger than in the rest of the country. In September, the best-selling car in California was Tesla's Model Y.
The media notes that extinguishing a lithium-ion battery fire requires much more water than traditional vehicles. Manufacturers are expected to create guides for rescue services detailing how to react in case of a fire.
Governor Gavin Newsom assessed this week that California is "still adapting to newer technologies," such as lithium-ion batteries. Bloomberg reminds us that in 2023, Newsom signed an executive order requiring all vehicles sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035.
A firefighter from San Diego, Robert Rezende, a specialist in lithium battery hazards who will assist in the cleanup, said that protocols developed during the 2023 Maui fires will be used in Los Angeles. However, the scale of this event and its threats are much greater," Bloomberg reports.
After the Maui island fires in Hawaii, over 33 US tons of lithium batteries from 1,400 properties were sent for recycling. Now, the scale will be much larger.
Many residents are still unable to return to their homes, if they at least partially survived the disaster. Officials warn residents that cleaning up debris can be dangerous due to the presence of mercury or asbestos.
