Just after 1 a.m. in downtown Franklin, Tennessee, firefighters were dispatched to what they thought was a dumpster fire behind a car dealership. But when the first captain pulled up, the orange glow lighting the lot told a different story. At least three Rivian EVs were burning, and flames were already creeping toward the building.

Battalion Chief Joseph Polenzani said the Rivian fire escalated the moment crews saw what they were up against

“The district captain was the first one on the scene, recognized it was not a dumpster,” he explained.

The call was immediately upgraded to a commercial structure fire. That move brought in eight trucks, two command officers, and an EMS team.

Video released by the Franklin Fire Department shows the blaze had fully engulfed several EVs by the time help arrived.

Crews pushed inside the building to stop the fire from spreading while others hit the cars outside with water and foam.

Investigators later determined that one Rivian had been plugged into a charger when it caught fire, sparking the others nearby.

Polenzani said his team’s fast response likely prevented a far more dangerous event. 

Why EV fires are so difficult to control

EV fires are notoriously tough to handle because of their lithium-ion batteries.

If the heat breaches a battery pack, it can trigger what’s known as “thermal runaway.” It’s a chemical chain reaction that can’t be cooled or stopped once it starts.

Temps can climb past 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The only real option is to let the fire burn itself out.

“We did have heat from the fire impinging on the batteries,” Polenzani said, “but none of them came open and went into thermal runaway.”

Firefighters used heavy water streams and firefighting foam to suppress the burning EVs at once. Thanks to that effort, the building was saved and no one was injured.

The cause remains under investigation, though officials don’t consider the EV fire suspicious

The National Transportation Safety Board reports that gas-powered cars are still 61 times more likely to catch fire than electric ones. But when EVs do ignite, like at this Rivian dealership, stopping them is quite difficult.

I’ll admit the “dumpster fire” detail caught my eye. After all, during its debut, folks joked that the Tesla Cybertruck looks like a dumpster on wheels. I guess from far enough away, any truck or SUV engulfed in flames might look like one. In the end, the important thing is that no one was reported injured.