Bay Area firefighters warn of electric vehicle fires ahead of height of hurricane season

Firefighters warn of EV fires for hurricane season

FOX 13's Evan Axelbank talked with firefighters who are warning boat and electric vehicle owners to be ready if Tampa Bay gets hit with another hurricane.

TAMPA, Fla. - Fire officials are warning boat and electric vehicle owners to be prepared if the Tampa Bay area gets hit by another hurricane this year. 

Homes on Davis Islands and Siesta Key were destroyed by cars that ignited in flooded garages during last year's hurricane season. At least six fires in Florida were caused when garages flooded. 

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What they're saying:

"It hurts a little bit more," said Hillsborough County firefighter Michael West. "It's difficult to see, knowing that some of this stuff can be prevented."

Hillsborough firefighters are taking the opportunity to insist to EV owners that they prepare to move cars to higher ground the moment the threat of flooding appears, including leaving it with a friend or on a high floor of a public parking garage. 

"Having a plan ahead of time and executing that plan really should reduce the stress to a good bit," said West.

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Clean Technica said that in just five years, the share of electric vehicles is up five times over, to the point where it's 7% of US cars. That means firefighters will have to work harder to prevent those fires and fight them. 

"The technology is fairly new," said Inv. David Tucker of HCFR. "It's such a dense energy source that is protected so it's hard to access by our normal means."

They're also asking boat owners to be ready to move those to higher ground as well. 

Dig deeper:

They don't have exact numbers, but the twin storms damaged numerous boats in Tampa Bay beyond repair.

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They're urging owners who can't take them out of the water before a storm to at least tie them down, use bumpers, remove electronics and turn off breakers.

"These vessels ended up resting inside people's homes," said West. "It's a significant problem."

What's next:

By getting the word out while the weather is still nice, they hope to avoid devastation when the weather turns south.

"Helene and Milton were definitely major wake-up calls," said West.

Firefighters said you should not keep your electric vehicles on chargers during storms, and if they can't be moved to higher ground, at least don't keep them inside a garage.