Three people were sent to the hospital after a hybrid vehicle went up in flames Sunday night at the intersection of 9th Street and Southern Avenue SE in Southeast D.C. Firefighters knocked down the blaze at the scene, and officials said two of the victims were in serious condition. A hazmat team was called in as a precaution, although early reports indicated the car’s high-voltage battery did not appear to be involved in the fire.
What officials say
According to WJLA, D.C. Fire and EMS crews arrived shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday after the hybrid collided with another vehicle and then caught fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and took all three people involved to nearby hospitals, with two patients listed in serious condition. The department requested a hazmat response to assess any risk tied to the hybrid system but told WJLA that the battery pack itself was not believed to be burning.
Search and scene response
DC News Now reported that U.S. Park Police were asked to search nearby wooded areas for any additional victims who might have left the roadway during the crash. The intersection was shut down while firefighters, hazmat personnel and police worked the scene, and emergency crews stayed in place as investigators documented the crash and collected evidence.
Why hybrid fires draw special precautions
This incident follows a high-profile hybrid diesel Metrobus fire in the 9th Street tunnel late last month that sent a massive plume of smoke over downtown and led Metro to pull its hybrid buses for inspections, according to NBC Washington. Together, those events have reinforced a cautious stance among first responders when dealing with vehicles that use high-voltage systems, even when a battery is not thought to be actively burning.
Federal safety guidance notes that damaged high-voltage battery packs can experience "thermal runaway" and potentially reignite after a fire appears to be out, which is why agencies and automakers are working to standardize emergency response information for fire crews, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Detailed rescue sheets and emergency response guides are designed to help firefighters quickly locate battery components and manage hazards during rescue operations, towing and storage.
Officials have not yet released the names of those injured or an official cause of the crash, and investigators remained on scene Sunday night, according to WJLA. This story will be updated as D.C. Fire & EMS or the Metropolitan Police Department provide additional details.
