A San Diego tourist tour company was forced to put the brakes on its rental business after about 30 vehicles, including one equipped with lithium-ion batteries, went up in flames Thursday night, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to the Gawker Tours fire at 9:22 p.m., said San Diego Fire and Rescue Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz. The fire at the back of the one-story commercial building was quickly extinguished and a hazardous materials team was called in.
Battalion Chief Robert Rezende, a lithium-ion battery fire expert and the first in the area, said his team helped move the remains of the battery-powered Gawker to a safe location in the parking lot so that hazardous materials contractors could properly remove it. He said he did. Alternative Energy Emergency Response Coordinator.
Lithium-ion battery fires can be extremely dangerous because they release harmful gases and can burn for hours or even days.
In this case, the fire was quickly extinguished, but Rezende said it was unclear whether the battery was damaged.
Chris Boone, owner of Gawker Tours San Diego, said six electric cars were among the vehicles destroyed.
“I’m not sleeping, it’s terrible,” he said. “We lost 95% of our cars in the fire.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Battalion Chief Chad Willenberg told NBC 7 Thursday night that an overcharged battery may have been the cause. But Boone said there was no indication that the lithium-ion battery caught fire.
Rezende told the Times on Friday that the gas-powered car may have started the fire, which then spread to the EV.
“The requirements for safety standards for electric vehicles are very high,” he said. “Electric vehicles are statistically less likely to spontaneously ignite than internal combustion engine vehicles.”
It’s also possible that one of the batteries was damaged in a crash that the customer failed to report, which then failed and caused the fire. The fire was determined to be an accident, so the fire department will not conduct any further investigation, and the cause will be determined by the company’s insurance company.
Boone said he is considering hiring an investigator, but isn’t sure if it would be financially viable. He estimated damages from the fire at $350,000 and said he was concerned that insurance would not cover those costs because the fire occurred in the parking lot, not inside the building.
He first brought the tricycle to San Diego in 2005 and said it was a big hit. He said tourists love to explore the city using light vehicles powered by 49cc scooter engines.
On Friday, he drove to Las Vegas to pick up an additional vehicle from another GoCar Tours site. He hopes to use these vehicles to fill existing reservations in San Diego and “keep customers smiling.” However, they are not accepting new reservations at this time.
