fire risk News

Stellantis Recalling Nearly 20,000 Plug-In Minivans For Fire Risks

WASHINGTON –– Chrysler parent Stellantis STLA.MI is recalling 19,808 plug-in hybrid minivans and urged owners to stop recharging them, after reports of 12 fires in parked vehicles. The automaker said the recall covers 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. All were …

Fatal Fires in St. Louis, Baltimore Expose Vacant Home Risks

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thick smoke billowed from the vacant, crumbling St. Louis house, but Benjamin Polson knew homeless people might be inside taking refuge from the January chill. So the 33-year-old firefighter went in. It cost him his life. …

Daimler Warns Car Owners of Fire Risk it Lacks Parts to Fix

BERLIN–Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has informed owners of its luxury cars of a technical defect that could spark afire, the company said on Tuesday, adding a recall was not possible because parts needed to fix the problem are not available. The issue …

Park Outside: Kia Recalls Nearly 380K Vehicles for Fire Risk

DETROIT (AP) — Kia is telling owners of nearly 380,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outdoors due to the risk of an engine compartment fire. The Korean automaker is recalling certain 2017 through 2021 Sportage SUVs and 2017 …

Raging Australian Bushfire Destroys Dozens of Homes

SYDNEY — Firefighters in Western Australia battled gusty winds and high temperatures on Tuesday as they fought a bushfire that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and destroyed more than 56 homes. Television broadcast images of air tankers flying …

Safety Board: More Guidance Needed to Protect Firefighters From Electric Vehicle Fires

Electric vehicle manufacturers should provide more specific information to first responders and tow truck drivers on how to cope with lithium-ion battery fires, which continuously reignite even after being doused with water, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a …

Southern California Could Have Cold Turkey From Power Shutoffs

Dry, gusty winds have raised a critical fire threat, prompting Edison International to threaten to cut power to more than 76,000 Southern California homes and businesses just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. A weather front that’s rushing south Wednesday …

As Zeta Raged, Mississippi Family Watched Their Home Burn

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — Whenever Bobby Turgeau talks about the night Hurricane Zeta swept across the Coast, there’s one line he can’t stop repeating: “I did everything wrong.” That night, Zeta brought 100-mile-per-hour winds and several feet of flood …

California Braces for Renewed Fire Threat From Windy Weather

SAN FRANCISCO — Dry, windy weather posed an extreme wildfire risk Wednesday in Northern California, where massive blazes already have destroyed hundreds of homes and killed or injured dozens of people. The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for …

Hyundai Motor to Recall Kona EV in S.Korea Over Concern of Fire Risk

Hyundai Motor Co will voluntarily recall its Kona electric vehicles as a possible short circuit due to what may be faulty manufacturing of its high-voltage battery cells could pose a fire risk, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Thursday. Starting …