Mercedes-Benz EV fire leaves path of car park destruction

A Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle (EV) which reportedly caught alight in a South Korean car park last week reportedly caused damage to at least 70 cars, and resulted in more than a dozen people being hospitalised. Yonhap News Agency reports the fire started at about 6:15am on Thursday July 1 in the basement of an apartment building in Incheon, west of Seoul. It’s unclear as to why the EV, which appears to be a Mercedes-Benz EQE, caught fire, though security footage posted online shows smoke emerging from the electric sedan moments before the fire erupted. According to the news agency, more than 177 firefighters and 80 fire engines were dispatched to tackle the blaze, which reportedly damaged approximately 70 other vehicles in the car park before it could be tamed. At least 16 residents of the apartment complex were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, with Korea JoongAng Daily additionally reporting that 480 households lost power due to the fire, with 121 people subsequently relocated. A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz South Korea told Yonhap the company is investigating the source of the fire. “As the investigation is still ongoing, we ask for your understanding that we cannot provide further details at this time,” the spokesperson said. “We express our deep regret to the residents of the apartment complex and the surrounding area affected by the recent incident.” While EV fires are far less common than those involving petrol or diesel vehicles, the high-voltage batteries which power the cars burn more aggressively and require significantly more water to put out. According to EV FireSafe, an Australian company which collates global vehicle fire data, there have been 511 reported incidents of thermal runaway in EV and plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) batteries worldwide between 2010 and the end of June 2024.