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Guernsey's firefighters had to tackle the first electric vehicle fire in the island last week.
Special training was put into action after Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service was called to "a structure fire" at Craig's Motors on Ville Vaudu Road, near Vale Church, at 17:20 on Thursday 29 August.
It quickly became apparent that the fire was within a workshop at the business. Inside that workshop was an electric powered van.
The Fire Service was still on the scene 24 hours later to monitor and control the ongoing decay of the van's lithium-ion battery to ensure it did not reignite.
Pictured: The main showroom building at Craig's Motors on Ville Vaudu Road.
Chief Fire Officer Jon Le Page confirmed that a formal investigation into the cause of the fire will start once the battery is safe and stable.
The Fire Service has since confirmed this electric van "had become involved in the fire", although the actual cause of the fire is not known at the time of writing.
The fire was emanating "noxious black smoke" said GFRS, with the flames burning through the roof of the workshop.
Roads were closed in the immediate vicinity to allow the emergency services to do their work.
Residents in the area were asked to keep their windows closed to avoid the potentially toxic fumes from entering their homes.
This is believed to be the first time that a fire in Guernsey has involved an electric vehicle.
Chief Fire Officer Le Page said that once ignited, a lithium-Ion battery – like ones used in electric vehicles – will become involved in "an unstoppable chemical reaction known as thermal runaway".
If the temperatures created during this "thermal runaway" are not controlled through cooling then the battery can reignite.
To prevent this from happening, crew members remained on the site at Craig's Motor Care all night, and throughout Friday.
They were to stay there until the battery was deemed safe, when a formal investigation into the cause of the fire could be launched.
Pictured: A type of battery used in electric vehicles.
Chief Fire Officer Le Page said that because these dangers were well known, his fire fighters have been preparing for such a fire happening locally.
That meant they were well prepared when the call came in on Thursday afternoon.
“Fire crews have been preparing, equipping and training for dealing with lithium-ion battery fires since they have become more prevalent in our community and it is believed that this is the first fire in Guernsey to involve an electric vehicle," he said.
"That preparedness was put into action [on Thursday] and proved very successful, with the crews deploying a specially designed vehicle sized fire blanket to contain and control the fire spread from the vehicle.
"Together with the deployment of two traditional water jets, the Fire Crews quickly had the majority of the blaze under control, and the damage was limited to the roof of the building and the workshop compartment in which the fire started."
Most plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles will contain a lithium-ion battery which are defined as 'a rechargeable battery that utilises lithium ions moving between electrodes during charging and discharging processes'.
There are restrictions on importing this type of battery into Guernsey with rules set by Guernsey Post, Guernsey Airport, and freight companies over the size of the battery and its lithium content.
Pictured: The number of electric vehicles in Guernsey is increasing yearly.
Data released earlier this year showed there were more than three times as many electric vehicles in personal use in Guernsey at the end of last year, than there were in 2020.
By the end of 2023, 2,133 electric vehicles and 1,885 hybrid vehicles were registered. That doesn't include any company vehicles.
There is no data available for how many electric push bikes and motorbikes there are in the island.
As well as the dangers posed by the fire itself, compounded by a lithium-ion battery being involved in the blaze, there was the added risk of asbestos.
Fire crews on the scene on Thursday night were alerted to the possibility of asbestos material in the roof of the workshop.
Asbestos is a fire retardant material made up of tiny fibres. When those fibres are inhaled they can cause diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Asbestos is unlikely to be dangerous if it is undisturbed, but when it is disturbed - for example through building work, demolition, or a fire - that risk is increased.
To counter this risk, people living near the fire were advised to keep their windows closed, while anyone who came across debris from the fire were urged not to touch it.
Any fire related debris that has blown into other gardens or properties can be reported to Environmental Health by calling 221161.
The garage is on the corner of the Ville Baudu at the junction with Route Militaire, near the filter at the Vale Church.
It offers vehicle sales, maintenance, and valeting of a range of vehicles.
Pictured: Craig's Motor Care, the day after the fire.
While the main garage appears to have been left relatively damage-free after the fire, it remained closed during Friday while the fire crew ensured the building and surrounding areas are safe.
Chief Fire Officer Le Page offered his support to the business owner.
“Everyone at the Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service is saddened by the damage caused to this popular local business but sends its best wishes to the owners and staff, and hopes that their efforts to limit the fire spread and damage will enable the business to recover as quickly as possible,” he said.
When the fire started, and emergency service vehicles arrived on the scene with their sirens going, a dog who lives along the Ville Baudu was spooked and ran away.
Chocco lives near Earlswood, very near to Craig's Motor Care. She ran through the Earlswood complex towards L'ancresse Common, before disappearing near the Mont Cuet tip.
Many people helped to look for her, with the search being scaled back when it became apparent that Chocco might have been hiding from the sheer number of people walking around and calling her name.
The dog returned home at around 01:30 on Friday morning, having been missing for around eight hours.
Chocco's worried owners were off-island on the evening she disappeared, with a family member raising the alarm before friends, the GSPCA and many other people all helped to look for her.
“(On Thursday 29 August) at just after 5.20pm Fire Crews responded to a structure fire at Craig’s Motors on Ville Baudu Road near Vale Church. On arrival, the crews found that there was a fire within the workshop part of the building, which had burned through the roof and was emitting a large volume of noxious black smoke. The crews were made aware that the building contained an electric powered van and they quickly confirmed that it had become involved in the fire.
“While it is impossible at this stage to confirm the specific cause of the fire, it is possible to confirm that the lithium-ion battery of the vehicle had become involved in the fire, which created specific challenges for the crews dealing with the incident.
“Fire crews have been preparing, equipping and training for dealing with lithium-ion battery fires since they have become more prevalent in our community and it is believed that this is the first fire in Guernsey to involve an electric vehicle. That preparedness was put into action (on Thursday) and proved very successful, with the crews deploying a specially designed vehicle sized fire blanket to contain and control the fire spread from the vehicle. Together with the deployment of two traditional water jets, the Fire Crews quickly had the majority of the blaze under control, and the damage was limited to the roof of the building and the workshop compartment in which the fire started.
“Once ignited, Lithium-Ion batteries become involved in an unstoppable chemical reaction known as thermal runaway. During this cycle it is possible for the battery to reignite if the temperatures created are not controlled through cooling. A Fire Crew has remained on scene to monitor and control the ongoing decay of the lithium-ion battery.
“When the battery is determined to have become stable and safe, a formal investigation into the cause of the fire will be started.
“Everyone at the Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service is saddened by the damage caused to this popular local business but sends its best wishes to the owners and staff, and hopes that their efforts to limit the fire spread and damage will enable the business to recover as quickly as possible.”
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