Residents of dozens of homes in Ojai were briefly ordered to evacuate or evacuate Saturday morning after a hybrid electric vehicle caught fire, sending billowing smoke into the neighborhood.
Ventura County firefighters were dispatched at 9:30 a.m. and determined the Volvo XC90’s battery was in thermal runaway.
Rather than put out the fire, they deployed equipment to protect the surrounding neighborhood and watched while it burned out.
“It’s a chemical reaction, not a thermal reaction,” Dowd said. “At that point, the battery continues to burn despite being covered with water. The current and most effective firefighting strategy is to protect the health and safety of responders and the public.”
Residents were ordered to evacuate upwind of the fire and ordered to stay downwind.
By 1:30 p.m., Dowd said the smoke had reduced and the order was downgraded to a warning.
However, the scene remained active as infrared-equipped drones still detected significant residual heat in the vehicle.
Once the danger has passed, the vehicle will be towed, he said.
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