Josephine Community Transit has released a video showing the real-time spread of a fire as it engulfed a bus in early January. It's something the program supervisor said is the first of its kind.
On January 8th, a transit operator noticed a fire emerging from the roof of an unoccupied 35-foot electric bus at the Josephine County Public Works charging area. The operator immediately called emergency services and other operators followed existing protocol to move other vehicles away. Though the bus was totaled, no one was harmed and JCT services continued as normal.
Several investigations are being conducted by Josephine County's insurance carrier, the vehicle's manufacturer and county maintenance experts. All three investigations will eventually converge and a final report will be issued. The goals are to ascertain why the fire happened and to make sure it never happens again.
The video -- available online at "youtu.be/2knxizm3Egg" -- compiles various recordings of the incident into a single timeline, allowing researchers and fire investigators a unique glimpse into how a runaway thermal event can occur.
A runaway thermal event happens when a battery cell shorts out or is damaged, causing a rapid discharge of electrical energy. The video is compiled from footage captured on the affected vehicle and other vehicles in the parking area. This collection of information can be used as a training tool for other transit agencies and fire departments across the nation.
JCT Supervisor Scott Chancey said there have been five fires like this nationwide, but no video like this has ever been produced by anyone. He said the video explains all the preparation and safety decisions concerning where the charging infrastructure was placed, how and why the EV parking area was arranged, and what protocols were put in place in case something like this happened.
