The Fire Protection Research Foundation and the Fire Safety Research Institute Issue Notice Around Potential Hazard Involving Fire Blankets Used for Electric Vehicle Fire Suppression Efforts with Battery Involvement
- Experiments conducted by both organizations have demonstrated a potential explosion hazard when fire blankets are used during electric vehicle (EV) fire suppression efforts when there is battery involvement.
- When flaming is eliminated by the fire blanket, the ongoing accumulation of flammable gases released by continued thermal runaway in the battery pack presents a potential explosion risk.
- The experiments reinforce the need for continued research on EV firefighting tactics.
QUINCY, Mass. and COLUMBIA, Md., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of NFPA, and the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, today issued a notice about a potential explosion hazard when fire blankets are used during electric vehicle fire suppression efforts with battery involvement.
- During experiments involving the use of electric vehicle fire blankets to suppress an EV fire with battery involvement, it was observed that the deployment of a fire blanket eliminated flaming by denying oxygen to the vehicle and the battery fire.
- While the flaming was eliminated, battery thermal runaway propagation continued after blanket deployment, which resulted in the continued release and accumulation of flammable battery gases into the volume under the blanket
- In some of the experiments, this accumulation of flammable gases under the blankets presented an explosion risk to firefighters operating near the vehicle.
- The risk of an explosion can be increased when re-introducing air into an oxygen-depleted accumulation of unburned flammable battery gases.
FPRF is conducting research to improve the safety of firefighters responding to electric vehicle (EV) fires and incidents by assessing current firefighting tactics and tools used by the fire service to manage EV incidents and the impact of suppression activities on managing re-ignition risks. Recent experiments for the Assessment of EV Firefighting Tactics, Tools and the Impact on Stranded Energy research project were conducted to assess the ability of four firefighting tactics to suppress and establish control of fire incidents involving standalone electric vehicle battery packs and full electric vehicles with confirmed battery pack fire involvement: standard hose stream application – water only; standard hose stream application – with injected agent; electric vehicle fire blankets; and firefighting appliances. Analysis of the data from FPRF experiments is underway. Preliminary results will be presented at the annual NFPA Conference and Expo on June 16, 2025 in Las Vegas and the full analysis will be provided in FPRF’s forthcoming research report, which will be publicly available this fall at nfpa.org/foundation.
FSRI is conducting research to improve understanding of hazards generated by electric vehicle battery fires and to enable the development of firefighting tactics for effective electric vehicle fire control. Recent experiments for the Fire Safety of Batteries and Electric Vehicles research project were conducted to evaluate the capability of standard hose stream application, water application with an under-vehicle nozzle, and an electric vehicle fire blanket, to suppress and establish control of a burning electric vehicle with confirmed battery pack fire involvement. Analysis of the video and data from FSRI experiments is underway and will be addressed in detail in FSRI’s forthcoming electric vehicle research report, which will be available at fsri.org.
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The Fire Protection Research Foundation and the Fire Safety Research Institute Issue Notice Around Potential Hazard Involving Fire Blankets Used for Electric Vehicle Fire Suppression Efforts with Battery Involvement, source
