California: Lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles are one of the biggest hazards in the post-fire cleanup

Electric vehicles are creating havoc in recent days. The recent wildfires in Southern California left thousands of damaged or burned lithium-ion batteries that pose a serious risk of explosion or fire.

These batteries, present not only in electric vehicles, but also in electric bicycles and household devices, are one of the biggest concerns in cleaning up the devastated areas. Steve Calanog, incident commander for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated:

"We are facing what is probably the largest lithium-ion battery recovery effort in history."

Batteries can explode and catch fire

"If the electric vehicle didn't burn completely, there is a high risk that the battery is still active and dangerous," Yuzhang Li, a professor of engineering at UCLA, explained to NBCNews. That is, batteries can enter a chain reaction when damaged or overheated - leading them to explode and catch fire - a process that can extend over weeks or months.

The EPA has dispatched specialized teams to identify, recover and neutralize the batteries. This process includes immersing them in a salt water and baking soda solution to deactivate them before sending them to recycling or disposal facilities.

California and its obsession with 'green energy'

In recent years, California Governor Gavin Newsom - using the pretext of pollution - has placed barriers on vehicles that run on conventional fuels and has imposed laws that force citizens to buy electric vehicles. With more than 581,000 units sold in Los Angeles County since 2009.

In communities such as Pacific Palisades (among the hardest hit in the fires), electric car sales surpassed 5,500 units since 2010. Adam VanGerpen, a Los Angeles Fire Department official, stated, "This area has many more electric vehicles than other parts of the state, which complicates the cleanup process."

"It's not just about cleanup, it's about making sure communities are safe before residents can return," stressed VanGerpen, who urged homeowners to avoid handling debris without authorization.