Massive fire at EV parking in Delhi, over 90 vehicles charred

The reason for the fire has not been ascertained yet, the Delhi Fire Service has said, but it may have been caused by a short circuit. The flames have been brought under control now.

Fire at metro station parking

Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service, said they received a call around 5am Wednesday morning informing them that a fire had broken out in the parking of the Jamia Nagar metro station in South Delhi. Seven firetrucks were sent to the spot to douse the fire with over 10 firefighters involved.

At least 80 e-rickshaws, 30 of them reportedly new, 10 cars, two scooties, and one motorcycle were damaged by the fire. No casualties have been reported.

Videos and pictures of the incident have gone viral on the internet, with some images showing vehicles charred beyond recognition.

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EV fire incidents in India

There have been multiple cases of electric vehicles catching fire in India. In April, an Okinawa dealership in Chennai had caught fire, while 20 electric scooters of Jitendra EV had caught fire in a container, also in April.

Experts believe the hot summer weather is instigating fires in electric vehicles, causing a thermal runaway in their batteries. EV fires in India are also being blamed on improper testing standards and foreign batteries that have not been designed for Indian weather.

Recently, the Indian government has taken cognisance of these incidents and set up committees to probe these incidents. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has also suggested fines on auto manufacturers in case of defects in the electric vehicles that are causing these fires.