A sightseeing tour company in San Diego is having to hit the brakes on rentals after about 30 of its vehicles, including several powered by lithium-ion batteries, went up in flames Thursday night, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at GoCar Tours at 9:22 p.m., according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesperson Mónica Muñoz. They quickly extinguished the fire in the back of a single-story commercial building and called in a hazmat team, she said.
The team helped move the remnants of the battery-powered GoCars to a safe area of the parking lot so they could be properly removed by a hazardous materials contractor, said Battalion Chief Robert Rezende, an expert in lithium-ion battery fires and the region’s first alternative-energy emergency response coordinator.
Lithium-ion battery fires have the potential to be extremely dangerous as they emit hazardous gases and can burn for hours or even days.
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