A taxi was reportedly completely gutted in a fire in Tivim on Sunday night. The driver immediately stopped the car and tried to extinguish the fire. However the fire spread quickly and the flames burnt the face and hands of the driver. It must be said that incidents of cars catching fire have been taking place at a disturbing frequency in the state. It is pertinent to note that cars are complex machines with a lot of mechanical and electrical moving parts, including frictional and flammable components. A car can catch fire due to a collision, a manufacturing defect, or a simple electrical failure. The electric vehicles (EV) fire incidents are primarily attributed to the high energy density battery packs, which are concealed in a compact space and store a large amount of energy. When damaged, an internal short circuit triggers a chain reaction. Following this, the battery pack generates more heat than it can dissipate and catches fire. Given the risk of cars catching fires it would be prudent to have ‘vehicle fire suppression systems’ installed by car manufacturers for safety just like there are seat-belts and air-bags.
