Multiple EVs Catch Fire at a San Diego Target
In July, a UCLA study found that the air around charging stations contained a high concentration of “dangerous air particles, known as particle matter (PM) 2.5.”
Leslie is out of town, which means I don’t get my daily dose of California craziness.
Thanks to Beege Welborn at Hot Air, I found one of Leslie’s favorite topics: electric vehicles.
On Saturday, a fire at an electric vehicle charging station in a Target parking lot burned multiple vehicles.
Authorities had to call a hazmat crew to handle the “lithium-ion battery cleanup and disposal.”
#SanDiego Multiple Electric Vehicle Fire at Target in #Vista
📹 @MobileNewsSD pic.twitter.com/ybcYsfQE8x— Sideo TV (@SideoTV) September 7, 2025
Hertz lost a few of its EVs at the San Diego International Airport due to a fire two weeks ago. The fire also “spread to a fence and nearby trees, producing heavy smoke visible from the airport.”
Yes, a hazmat crew had to get involved due to the batteries.
In May 2024, a fire at a San Diego-area warehouse burned for days due to the lithium batteries it stored.
The fire frustrated firefighters because of a “thermal runaway” that occurred when the batteries overheated. The fire “spreads from one battery to another, especially when they are stacked inside a battery storage facility.”
A few months later, hazmat crews fought a fire involving an electric truck battery on I-80 in Northern California.
The fire started at 3:15 AM and lasted over eight hours, causing the authorities to close the highway.
Despite all these stories and many more, I found out that California plans to spend $55 million to expand fast EV charging stations.
A few people are happy. Others not so much because of the loss of parking spaces.
However, one EV owner regrets buying one:
Firooz Feizi bought an electric car two years ago because he said gas prices were getting too high. Now, he is second guessing his decision.
“Electric cars have a problem. One problem is the range. I can’t drive for a long time,” Feizi said.
As a rideshare driver, he stops to charge at least three times per day, which is why access to a fast-charging station is essential.
In July, a UCLA study found that the air around charging stations contained a high concentration of “dangerous air particles, known as particle matter (PM) 2.5.”
“The tiny particles likely come from particle resuspension around Direct Current Fast Charging power cabinets,” according to the study. “Cooling fans designed to prevent the electronics from overheating can also stir up dust and particles from internal surfaces.”
They “ranged from 7.3 to 39.0 micrograms per cubic meter.”
Oh, look! PM2.5 is one of the most dangerous pollutants:
Air pollution is a pressing global issue, and among the various pollutants that contribute to poor air quality, PM2.5 stands out as one of the most dangerous. PM refers to particulate matter also called particle pollution as a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. PM2.5 does not include gas particles. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers (microns) in diameter or μm, making it incredibly small and, consequently, a significant health risk as it can land in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The smaller size means the particles can last longer in the air.
[Featured image via Fox 5 San Diego]
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Comments
Somehow, the Green/Left will claim that problems with EV lithium batteries and their attendant infrastructure are caused by the greed of Big Oil; in fact, they are running TV ads right now in California making that very point.
Who needs Reddy Kilowatt when you have Crystal, The Transexual Energy Unicorn?
Upvoted just for the reference to Reddy! 🙂
Oh no
not a Target
musta been their gas tanks
mo lefty freaks? attacking
“dangerous air particles, known as particle matter”
This is California? Don’t they have state mandated pollution devices to stop these dangerous emissions?
You’re talking about a state that labels bags of common playground sand as “known to cause cancer.”
I’m waiting for a warning label along the lines of “The adhesive on the back of this warning label is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”
Last year I saw a decorative fantasy-ish dagger for sale with the California cancer warning on its box.
You’d think the CA nanny states would be more worried about the pointy bit than what it’s made of.
The danger of PM2.5 is very much overrated.
https://townhall.com/columnists/stevemilloy/2025/06/17/trump-closes-notorious-epa-lab-that-conducted-illegal-human-experiments-n2658912#google_vignette
I’m glad to see the followup story on this. Last I read about it, somebody had cross-referenced the EPA human experiments with EPA’s own danger standards and was proposing to blow the whistle on them.
WOW!
When I was researching batteries for my house, the one thing I didn’t want was Lithium-ion. The previous owner had 10 Rolls lead acid placed into a closed wooden case vented outside but I wasn’t particularly interested in the maintenance issues or having a big chunk of my basement taken up for battery storage if I could find a better solution. I replaced his entire system and gave the batteries to a neighbor about 2 miles away who was still using Lead acid since they still had life in them. I ended up choosing LiFePO4 and when they need to be replaced, hopefully there will be something even better at a lower cost. So I ended up with more storage, a safer battery than LI-ion and a neighbor who is extremely grateful and keeps an eye on my house when we’re not there.
I’m just going through the process you recently have. We settled on Tesla Powerwall precisely for the reason you cited: Safety. I also like that the Powerwall is made in the US. I understand the LiFePO4 is a cheaper cost of total ownership. But good Lord, that initial capital expense is unspeakably painful.
For fixed battery banks, consider the Edison nickel-iron battery. It has the lowest energy per pound of any rechargeable, so it’s only for when the battery pack won’t move, but it does not require exotic materials, it won’t burn, and it does not burn. The only hazardous substance is lye; it will eat your skin if you get it on, but we have centuries of experience in handling it safely..
The first batteries I purchased were LG 48V rack serve batteries, i used them for awile and then sold them because they were Lithium Ion. I switched to LiFePo4 chemistry instead. If you overload wiring and do not have proper fuses & circuit breaker protection, you can have a fire. But those batteries. do not combust like lithium ion.
Dust bunnies keep dangerous particles from roaming free.
Those things burn forever. Imagine when they combust on hot dry windy day on narrow 2 lane road in the mountains. Wildfire risk is off the charts.
You have got to be kidding me. This looks like a hatchet job from 10 years ago. Yes things catch on fire. I wonder how long of a list you could come up with of all the other types of fires that are happening as I write this. Most fires produce nasty smoke and hazardous material.
And as far as the chargers kicking up particulates, have you ever seen what a leaf blower kicks up? Give me a break. If you can come up with anything better than this to slam EVs, just wait for the next story.
What’s wrong with documenting the true (higher) costs and risk associated with EV? The fact is the EV do carry higher risks to society in comparison to ICE vehicles that are not confined to the owner. Attempts to shut down dissent from the preferred narrative of EV evangelicals through mockery, IMO, seem to reveal the underlying fear of the EV proponents; that an informed public would begin shifting the true costs back onto EV owners.
agree
the danger that the ev poses and creates will have the grandchildren ( or great grandchildren) of the current activists
screaming for ICE to make a comeback
If charging stations are going to stir up PM 2.5 dust and kill us, shouldn’t we be banning volcanos and forest fires. How about meteors and comets passing through the atmosphere. I know, if we can just ban everyones wood burning fireplaces, that will probably make up for the charging stations a 100 times over (sarc). Hypochondriac anyone. Don’t be a fear mongerer, understand the relevance of what you write about. You ended your article with the stupidity of a meaningless PM2.5 reference.
And, Coke Zero is better than Diet Coke.
Another day ending in Y it seems.
PM2.5 stands out as one of the most dangerous
Except, as the paragraph later states, “PM2.5” is NOT a particle, but a measurement. Basically, they’re saying these chargers collect really fine dust of various stories. Wow, we should get the EPA right on this. /eyeroll/
Now, if some of that PM2.5 is flammable we should definitely worry.