‘Now is the time to act’: Florida battling lithium-ion battery fires as more electric vehicles hit the roads

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – The state of Florida is developing new standards for managing lithium-ion battery fires.

State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said new rules are needed because electric vehicles and other devices like e-scooters and e-bikes are becoming more common.

“The danger is known. It is real. Now is the time to act,” Patronis said during a news conference in Orlando.

The Department of Financial Services began making rules Thursday to develop standards for managing lithium-ion battery fires. Patronis said having standards for handling these fires is critical for Florida because electric vehicles can catch fire shortly after a hurricane.

“These heavily metalized saltwater create bridges on these batteries and they short out. And when they short out they will create a cascade effect,” Patronis said.

Patronis said 20 EVs caught fire after Hurricane Ian in 2022. Florida Professional Firefighters President Bernie Bernoska said firefighter safety needs to be looked at more than just trying try put out these fires.

“Beyond the challenge of simply extinguishing these fires, there’s also another danger that is sometimes overlooked and deals with the harmful cancer-causing gases produced during a lithium battery fire incident,” Bernoska said.

In addition to creating state rules, Patronis is encouraging Congress to pass federal standards for lithium batteries.

“We’ve got to be sensitive to where the problems lie that have not yet been fully discovered or factored in how to deal with these technologies,” Patronis said.

It could take nine months to a year to develop the state standards.

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