Heard about this story on the radio yesterday and found this link. They don't think the Volt or the charging station was to blame, but I'm waiting to hear the official cause. It could be very damaging to plug-in sales. Let's hope not. Electric cars are destroyed in fire | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
from what i recall. the home made samuri EV or the wiring to the garage caused the fire, not the volt.
yes the link is/was so old, that the Detroit free press article (a month old) is now unavailable. old news
Unofficially official: Volt cleared in Connecticut Fire Exclusive: Chevrolet Volt unofficially cleared in Connecticut garage fire GM-Volt Jeff Cobb May 18, 2011 After flames of rhetoric alleging the Chevrolet Volt might have caused a Connecticut garage fire last month, the case has basically fizzled from the media’s attention, but yesterday the local fire marshal in charge said the Volt was cleared of suspicion in his mind. “It wasn’t the cars,” Barkhamsted Fire Marshal William Baldwin told GM-Volt.com regarding the cause of a fire at the Barkhamsted residence of Dee and Storm Connors. Officially the fire marshal’s report still states the cause was “inconclusive,” but as the local fire official responsible for the investigation – among other investigators – Baldwin’s view yesterday was at least conclusive about the big question surrounding the Volt. So, we asked, what was the cause? Could it have been the garage wiring or some other incendiary source? He said yes it could have been, but he does not believe it was the fault of the Chevrolet Volt or a home-converted Suzuki Samurai EV that was also in the garage at the time of the fire. According to Storm Connors, the owner of the house and the EVs in question, his garage had a number of flammable items laying around. This is what he wrote on his blog April 20:
Possible sources of combustion: lithium batteries and water? Just a wild guess on my behalf. DBCassidy
Was it even nailed down to the battery? Missed hot spots in any fire can rekindle hours or even days later. It's why fire departments will flood a fire long after what a layman will consider out. But they are still human, and mistakes can happen.
That's why a clear result of the investigation is needed. When will we have the Official Official report?
