An electric car battery has burst into flames and injured a firefighter who was trying to put out the blaze.
The Volvo XC40 station wagon was seen smoking on Ross Street in Camperdown, Sydney’s inner west, shortly before 5.15am on Thursday.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews rushed to the scene and struggled to put out the fire caused by the car’s lithium-ion battery.
‘A battery inside an electric vehicle was smouldering and heating up, then it flared up into a fire,’ FRNSW superintendent Adam Dewberry told the Daily Telegraph.
‘Firefighters have knocked it down, but we have had one firefighter that has suffered some minor injuries.’
The Volvo XC40 station wagon was seen smoking on Ross Street in Camperdown, Sydney ‘s inner west, shortly before 5.15am on Thursday
The firefighter was taken to hospital for observation.
Supt Dewberry warned lithium-ion batteries have the potential to reignite.
‘Two fire trucks will remain on scene and now we need to monitor the temperature of that battery to make sure that we keep it cool and it doesn’t go into thermal runaway, where the fire can take hold, accelerate, and blow out with explosive force,’ he said.
The blaze was followed by a second car fire which saw both directions of the Princess Highway closed in nearby St Peters.
Firefighters responded to the fire near Canal Rd at about 6.30am.
The blaze was followed by a second car fire which saw both directions of the Princess Highway closed in nearby St Peters
The destroyed car have since been towed from the scene.
Live Traffic advised shortly before 7am the Princess Highway had reopened in both directions.
‘Continue to exercise caution and allow extra travel time in the area,’ it said.