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Westborough fire chief warns electric vehicle fires can reignite after tow
Summary
Chief Purcell said EV fires often require thermal destruction to fully extinguish, recounted a tow-yard re-ignition incident and noted challenges responding on limited-access highways without hydrants.
On the topic of highway and vehicle incidents, Fire Chief Patrick Purcell told listeners that electric vehicle (EV) fires present particular challenges. "Really, the only way to really fully extinguish an electric vehicle fire is thermal destruction," he said, explaining that while crews can initially apply water from trucks (about 1,000 gallons available), batteries can reignite later if not isolated and stored properly by towing companies.
Purcell recalled a specific case on the Mass Turnpike: after a towing company removed a vehicle, it caught fire again in the tow company’s storage area. He recommended that tows be taken to large enough storage yards away from other vehicles or buildings to reduce risk. Purcell also tied the concern to highway response challenges—limited access and lack of hydrants on the Mass Pike and I-495 complicate suppression efforts and resource deployment.
