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Major fire in Othmarschen: Electric car ignites flames in the underground car park!
A fire in the underground car park of an apartment building in Othmarschen led to heavy smoke. Fire brigade in action.
Major fire in Othmarschen: Electric car ignites flames in the underground car park!
A fire in an underground car park in the Othmarschen district of Hamburg is causing an uproar today. At 7 a.m. passers-by reported the incident and the fire department deployed around 65 firefighters to Albertiweg to put out the fire. This was a hybrid vehicle whose flames spread to several other parked vehicles, including an electric car, a minibus and a scooter. The extinguishing work took a good two hours and required firefighters to use breathing apparatus to combat the heavy smoke. An official warning was issued: Residents should keep windows and doors closed and turn off ventilation systems to protect themselves from possible health problems caused by the smoke from the fire, which is moving towards the northeast, as t-online.de reports.
The incident also caused traffic disruptions, as Elbchaussee was temporarily completely closed at Parkstrasse. Fortunately, according to the fire department, there were no injuries. However, the investigation into the exact cause of the fire has already been initiated and is still ongoing, as ndr.de reports.
Technical background on electric cars
Such fires in electric cars are not uncommon as the causes of fire are diverse and complex. In such vehicles, mechanical damage to the battery is often one of the main causes. It can be particularly dangerous if the shell of the lithium-ion cells is damaged in an accident, which can lead to internal short circuits. The term “thermal runaway” describes a chain reaction in which battery cells heat each other up and can lead to a fire, as autoscout24.de explains.
Although modern electric vehicles are equipped with sophisticated thermal management systems to help regulate the temperature of the batteries, the risk of fire does not seem to be completely ruled out in certain situations. Even if the error rate of large manufacturers is in the per thousand range in 2025, production errors can still lead to dangerous situations.
In Othmarschen, the fire department handled the operation quickly and professionally, and while investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, it remains to be seen whether this incident will have an impact on the safety standards of electric vehicles in Hamburg.