this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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Why the hell are they using water on a lithium battery fire??
Because that's how you put out a lithium battery fire. The fact that the batteries use a lithium based molecule doesn't mean it'll react violently with water.
Sodium is highly reactive with water, but table salt isn't.
Do you think firetrucks have masses of expensive chemicals stored inside of them or something? Fire equipment in the USA is water based. Fire engines have a tank of water that they keep ready + a pump for remote areas, but also a pump to hook into the water-mains if a fire is close to plumbing.
Water works to cool down Li-ion fires and will stop the fire eventually. But it takes a ton of water to do so, mostly because the water dribbles out wastefully. In Europe, they use water still but instead they have:
https://www.firehouse.com/operations-training/news/21236083/belgium-firefighters-submerge-burning-hybrid-car-in-container
This prevents the water from dribbling out and actually cools down the battery pack to the point that its safe enough to tow at least. IIRC, the fires can spontaneously erupt over the next few weeks still, but at least the main fire is put out.