New European method gaining ground in the US can extinguish EV fires in minutes with minimal water use
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Lessons Learned from a use case in Tempe, Arizona where an UHP cutting extinguishing lance was able to extinguish an EV fire with minimal water use
The method used in the video featured in this article involves the use of an ultra high pressure cutting extinguisher to stop propagation inside the battery using fine water mist.
While operating this method, the use of a Thermal Imaging Camera is imperative. The TIC is used to determine the hotspots of the fire and if any of the battery cells are involved.
A trained operator can then apply the cutting extinguishing lance to penetrate the outer casing of the battery, creating a small hole through which the cells inside are filled with a high pressure mist of fine water droplets.
This can help quickly stop the propagation inside the battery. Tests of the method and several use cases have confirmed the method can help get the fire under control in a short time with minimal water use.
Since the run off water contains many toxic compounds, the low use of water can also be better for the environment.
As reported previously on CTIF.org, this method was tested in Sweden by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB.se) in 2022-2023, in close cooperation with CTIF Sweden. More about these tests here and also below in this post.
This method has been gaining ground in Europe for some years, and recently now also in the United States. The video below shows a successful use case from the US.
Please be aware: To practice the method described in this video, it is vital to first receive theoretical and practical training from a qualified instructor.
It is also imperative to use approved tools only.
A successful Use Case from Tempe, Arizona
This lessons learned video documents an incident from from the US city of Tempe, Arizona, where a trained team used a cutting extinguisher system on an EV fire for the first time after their initial training.
In this inciden from June 5, 2024, a call came in about an EV in the initial stages of fire.
The battery pack was smoking and it was determined the battery was involved. Command on the scene decided to use the method they had recently received training for, and deployed a team of a lance operator and a spotter, who helped direct the operation.
With some initial issues, they had the EV- fire under control in less an hour with approximately 200 gallons / (750 litres) of water. With the lessons learned from the incident, Tempe Fire & Rescue hopes to push the time from applying the lance to the fire being under control in less than 20 minutes.
There was a re-ignition after the initial operation; however the team was able to reapply water mist and was able to extinguish the re-ignition without further incidents in two minutes and with about 20 gallons of water.
This video was produced with support from Cold Cut Systems for the purposes of spreading awareness of this method.
The drone footage used as illustrations in this video was from a live burn exercise in Alabama, by North Shelby Fire in early 2025.
Drone videography by Joey Jones, North Shelby Fire.
Interviews and story editing by Björn Ulfsson & Terri Casella
European method tested and documented in Sweden now being used in the US
As reported previously on CTIF.org, this method was tested in Sweden by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB.se) in 2022-2023, in close cooperation with CTIF Sweden.
As a stakeholder in the project, CTIF's Associate Member Cobra Cold Cut Systems provided their Cobra Ultra High pressure lance.
Also tested was the Murer extinguishing lance. Both tools extinguish fires from a safe distance through the use of a water mist which can penetrate battery casings and other hard surfaces.\
A report from tests made public by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) shows that a cutting extinguisher can safely put out a battery fire in a very short time, with minimal use of water and without the risk of re-ignition.
Read more and download the report
The report is based on the results on a number of tests carried out in a collaborative project involving several stakeholders, including the CTIF Commission for Extrication and New Technology, and CTIF Sweden, where Tore Eriksson, Tom van Esbroeck & Michel Gentilleau have been part of the reference group. CTIF ´s Yvonne Näsman and Per-Ola Malmquist have been project members on behalf of MSB.se.
The tests were designed to examine whether injecting water into a Li-ion battery that had gone into a state of thermal runaway could effectively suppress and extinguish the fire without reignition.
Several different kinds of equipment was tested, including fog nails, pick axes, traditional nozzles and various penetrating extinguishers (which use water mist to cut holes through the protective shell of the battery).
Please note, that for safety reasons, the use of fog nails or pickaxes (to break the battery shell before water was applied) is not recommended in the report.
See other use cases where the method was used:
Norway:
https://ctif.org/news/lessons-learned-worlds-first-known-case-using-cutting-extinguisher-ev-fire
Czech Republic:
This video was produced with support from Cold Cut Systems for the purposes of spreading awareness of this method.
The drone footage used as illustrations in this video was from a live burn exercise in Alabama, by North Shelby Fire in early 2025.
Drone videography by Joey Jones, North Shelby Fire.
Interviews and story editing by Björn Ulfsson & Terri Casella