BELLEVUE, Wash. — An electric vehicle caught fire after a hit-and-run crash at the Interstate 405 and Interstate 90 interchange Thursday evening.
Firefighters were able to put the initial blaze out, but then the vehicle reignited two more times. That section of southbound I-405 was fully blocked for a period of time.
The fire started after a driver crashed into the EV Hummer, forcing it into a jersey barrier. That driver fled the scene.
Fire crews sprayed water on the car to control the flames, but the car was engulfed. The driver escaped the car without any injuries.
After the flames subsided the first time, the fire reignited. That fire was put out. Then crews got the car onto a tow truck, where the fire sparked again.
“There’s a chemical chain reaction that occurs inside the lithium-ion battery that increases the heat to the point of combustion. And it requires basically zero oxygen to sustain that combustion. So, it will continue to reignite,” said Bellevue Fire Department Battalion Chief Doug Halbert.
Halbert said despite the fact EV fires can continue to reignite, they are actually less likely to catch on fire than a combustion engine.
“Vehicles are actually very safe, they're designed through national standards to take an impact and the batteries are protected,” said Halbert. “The rate of occurrence is drastically lower in electric vehicles than it is in gas vehicles. And I'm not talking about the total number I'm talking about the percentage per 100,000 cars on the road is significantly lower.”
Washington State Patrol troopers are still searching for the driver who caused the collision. They were driving a black, four-door Audi with black rims. The car has damage to the driver's side.