Carpark fire caused by lithium-ion battery destroys five cars at Sydney airport

A luxury vehicle has burst into flames in a Sydney airport carpark, with the raging fire then spreading to four other cars.

A lithium-ion battery fire has destroyed five cars, including a luxury vehicle, at Sydney airport overnight.

Firefighters were called to a parking lot on Airport Drive in Mascot after flames “engulfed” a luxury electric car and spread to four other vehicles at 8.30pm on Monday.

The radiant heat from the fierce blaze gutted all five vehicles and left sections of the cars melted in the carpark.

A lithium-ion battery has been identified as the cause of the fire

The blaze gutted five vehicles in the carpark.

The incident is being investigated by research groups looking at the risk of lithium batteries.

“A battery, which had recently been detached from the luxury car and stored in the lot, was quickly identified as having sparked the blaze,” a Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) spokesperson said in a statement.

After firefighters extinguished the blaze, the empty shells of the burnt-out vehicles were left behind.

“What we’ve got is the casing of a fully electric vehicle heavily impacted by fire that does appear to be the area of origin,” a firefighter at the scene said.

Experts from FRNSW‘s Fire Investigation and Research Unit as well as the Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies attended the scene and are continuing to piece together circumstances surrounding the incident.

“These insights will assist them in continually developing best practice for emergency response to lithium-related fires and informing industry on how to manage the risks associated with emerging technologies, the FRNSW spokesperson said.

Originally published as Carpark fire caused by lithium-ion battery destroys five cars at Sydney airport