Fire Extinguished in About 2 Hours
Fire in Mercedes-Benz Vehicle Equipped with Domestic Battery
Dozens of Residents Evacuated... No Casualties
An electric vehicle fire occurred in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Mojong-dong, Asan-si, Chungnam. Photo by Asan Fire Station, Chungnam
A fire broke out in an electric vehicle parked in an apartment parking lot, causing residents to evacuate in a commotion.
According to Yonhap News on the 14th, around 2:14 a.m., a fire occurred in an electric vehicle parked in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Mojong-dong, Asan-si, Chungnam. The fire department, responding to reports from residents, deployed 27 pieces of equipment including a smothering extinguisher and fire trucks, and 85 firefighters, extinguishing the fire completely after about two hours. The flames did not spread to other vehicles or buildings, and fortunately, no casualties occurred. However, at least dozens of apartment residents were urgently evacuated due to the fire. The electric vehicle involved was a Mercedes-Benz EQC400 4MATIC model, and it was confirmed that the vehicle was equipped with a domestically produced battery.
A Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fire also occurred on the morning of August 1 at an apartment in Cheongna International City, Seo-gu, Incheon. At that time, a fire suddenly broke out in an electric vehicle parked on the first basement floor parking lot, causing 23 residents to inhale smoke, 87 vehicles to be burned, and 783 vehicles to be scorched. Additionally, the temperature inside the parking lot soared above 1000 degrees Celsius due to the flames, melting underground facilities and pipes, which led to water and electricity supply being cut off.
In response, on the 21st of last month (local time), Uber Keller, Head of Battery Development, and Karsten Breckner, Head of Powertrain Purchasing and Supplier Quality, met with Korean journalists at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Untert?rkheim, Stuttgart, Germany, to express their stance on the incident. They stated, "We regret the electric vehicle fire in Cheongna, Incheon, Korea," and added, "Mercedes-Benz is taking this incident seriously." They further explained, "We are cooperating as much as possible to utilize all knowledge gained from various inspections and checks of the model in the actual investigation, but since the investigation is not yet complete, we need to wait for the final results."
However, they emphasized that they are making the utmost efforts regarding the safety of electric vehicle battery systems. Keller said, "We collaborate with battery suppliers under a strict quality control process," and added, "We do not believe this incident is due to an issue with the battery design itself." Furthermore, he stated, "Mercedes-Benz applies the highest safety standards independently, regardless of any national or market regulations related to safety standards."
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