Unfortunately, homes and businesses burn down every day. However, you don’t often hear about fire stations loaded with vital firefighting gear and professionals burning to the ground. That is, however, precisely what happened after an emergency vehicle with lithium-ion batteries like those in an electric fire truck caught fire and spread quickly. 

Electric kit on a fire truck ‘containing lithium-ion batteries’ started a fire that consumed a German fire station

The Feuerwehr station in Stadtallendorf is new. Really new. In fact, the new fire station opened its bay doors less than one year ago. The station could accommodate 10 fire engines and many firefighters. However, a tragic fire destroyed the station, despite its firefighting purposes.

According to euronews, the fire originated with “an emergency vehicle belonging to the fire department, which contained lithium-ion batteries and an external power connection.” Unfortunately, the electric emergency vehicle’s blaze destroyed at least 10 fire truck models and caused around 25 million Euros (27.05 million USD) in damage.

Here’s the kicker, though. The brand-new, cutting-edge Feuerwehr station didn’t have a functioning fire alarm. I know, I know. A fire station with no fire alarm? The International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF) reports that first responders were outraged to find out that the expensive new facility lacked an alarm system.

A cursory questioning of nearly any firefighter will reveal the importance of a functioning fire alarm and suppression system. Even space-age, high-tech facilities like the Stadtallendorf station can survive an inferno with the assistance of a fire suppression system and prompt action by first responders. Even a fire caused by electric equipment on the truck and its batteries could be much easier to extinguish with a fire suppression system.

Now, firefighters’ woes and electric vehicles (EVs) aren’t a new phenomenon. Departments in the United States have different tactics for battling EV battery fires. Ideally, first responders can suppress EV fires with mass quantities of water. However, some firefighters claim that, depending on the circumstances, it’s best to cordon off the area and allow the EV to burn.