Tesla fire took 3 hours to extinguish... Additional investigation on cause today

Fire Authorities "Plan to Investigate Exact Cause of Fire"

On the afternoon of the 7th, firefighters at the Tesla Service Center in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, are extinguishing a fire in a Tesla vehicle. / Provided by Seongdong Fire Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The fire department will conduct an additional investigation into the cause of a fire that occurred in a Tesla vehicle left at a service center in Seoul.

According to the fire department on the 9th, a fire broke out around 5 p.m. on the 7th in a Tesla vehicle parked at a Tesla service center located in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. There were no casualties, but about half of the vehicle was burned. The fire department deployed 65 personnel and 27 vehicles and completely extinguished the fire in about three hours.

The fire department reported that the vehicle owner visited the service center after the inspection light came on and the engine turned off about an hour before the fire occurred, and then reported the fire to the fire department.

Typically, electric vehicle fires occur due to battery thermal runaway. Due to the nature of the battery, once a fire starts, it takes a long time to fully extinguish. In particular, unlike conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, Tesla vehicles are difficult to open the front trunk when the vehicle power is off.

The fire department reportedly had difficulty extinguishing the fire again after dispatch. In fact, firefighters requested additional specialized personnel, saying that Tesla engineers were needed.

The fire department stated, "We have not yet identified the exact cause of the fire and plan to conduct further investigation."