'We’re not putting this out:' F-150 Lightning fire melts EV trucks

Police body camera footage from an F-150 Lightning battery fire in a holding lot in Dearborn, Michigan, on Feb. 4 revealed dramatic images of three melted pickups, according to video footage released by police.

Dearborn police and fire personnel responded to the incident, which involved three electric vehicles and resulted in a five-week production shutdown. No one was injured. The automaker worked with battery supplier SK On to identify the cause and resolution before restarting production. In March, after consulting with its supplier, Ford recalled 18 of the 2023 F-150 Lightning pickups.

Images of the February battery fire damage to all-electric Ford F-150 pickup trucks in a Dearborn holding lot. Dearborn police and fire personnel responded to the incident, which involved three electric vehicles and no injuries and resulted in a five-week production shutdown.

Video footage obtained by CNBC through a Michigan Freedom of Information Act request "totaled about two hours of video, including overlapping footage, from 17 police bodycams and vehicle dashcams between 3:36 p.m. and 4:22 p.m. ET, according to time stamps on the bodycam videos,” CNBC said.

New video footage and photos of an electric Ford F-150 Lightning fire earlier this year obtained by @CNBC through Michigan FOIA requests highlight an emerging concern regarding the adoption of EVs: Volatile battery fires. https://t.co/EBtGFbH324

— Michael Wayland (@MikeWayland) April 20, 2023

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Car battery fires burn hotter than other fires and require massive quantities of water or special chemicals to extinguish. In this case, one Ford pickup caught fire, and the flames spread to the other two.

The video includes audio that illustrates the gravity of the situation, as reported by CNBC:

• “We’re not putting this (expletive) out. Look at it,” said one responding officer.

• First responders can be heard on video expressing concern about how much water is needed to put out EV fires and whether a special foam would be required.

• “They have to put like a whole (expletive) lake on it to put them out,” the same officer said during the event.

What is the recall on the Ford F-150 Lightning?

In its letter to federal regulators dated March 15, Ford said the reason for the vehicle recall was "High voltage battery pack may short circuit" and create a fire risk. The fire occurred while the vehicle was charging in a holding lot during a pre-delivery quality check and was caused by an internal short circuit due to a manufacturing defect when cells in the battery were at a "high state of charge," according to documents posted on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website.

Ford said in its chronology report that engineers determined there was no evidence of a charging fault.

“Together with SK On, we confirmed the root causes and swiftly implemented quality actions,” Ford said in a statement to CNBC. “The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center has been back up and running since March 13 and is back to full production and shipping vehicles to customers.”

Images of the February battery fire damage to all-electric Ford F-150 pickup trucks in a Dearborn holding lot. Dearborn police and fire personnel responded to the incident, which involved three electric vehicles and no injuries and resulted in a five-week production shutdown.

The Detroit Free Press requested the video, images and audio Thursday and left messages for city of Dearborn spokesman Bilal Baydoun and the Dearborn Police spokesman, Cpl. Dan Bartok. A message seeking comment about the incident was left for Dearborn Deputy Fire Chief Laura Ridenour.

Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg declined to comment to the Free Press on the release of the audio and video, emphasizing: "This was one single fire. We're really proud of the team, and how quickly they responded to handle the situation." She confirmed the automaker “took part in an information-sharing session on how to handle battery fires in summer 2022 with members of the Dearborn fire department."

Page 13 of the 20-page Emergency Response Guide written for the Ford F-150 Lightning dated April 2022 has been made available to first responders. Battery fires are not unique to Ford. The automaker did shut down its plant for five weeks to resolve questions involving a Feb. 4, 2023 battery fire in a holding lot in Dearborn.

Bergg told the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network: "We have a long history of working closely with emergency workers and first responders on auto safety issues and that continues as we enter the EV era.  We’re further evaluating opportunities to help educate on this important topic."

What caused the Ford Lightning fire?

Images of the February battery fire damage to all-electric Ford F-150 pickup trucks in a Dearborn holding lot. Dearborn police and fire personnel responded to the incident, which involved three electric vehicles and no injuries and resulted in a five-week production shutdown.

Ford wrote to regulators that its investigation from Feb. 6 to Feb. 9 found that the fire started in one of the battery arrays when "cathode aluminum tabs contacted the anode electrode material, causing an internal short circuit when the cells were at a high state of charge."

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: F-150 Lightning EV trucks melt after battery fire. See the video.