A NSW firefighter has sustained facial burns while battling a car blaze in Sydney’s inner west.
The firefighter was responding to the blaze in a hybrid Volvo XC40 station wagon on Ross St, Camperdown, about 4.40am on Thursday.
When the firefighter opened the car door, a flashover occurred — causing minor burns.
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The interior of the hybrid electric vehicle was destroyed by the fire.
‘A battery inside an electric vehicle was smouldering and heating up, then it flared up into a fire,’ FRNSW superintendent Adam Dewberry told The Daily Telegraph
‘Firefighters have knocked it down, but we have had one firefighter that has suffered some minor injuries.’
Superintendent Dewberry warned of the complications because of lithium-ion batteries.
‘Two fire trucks will remain on scene, and now we need to monitor the temperature of that battery to make sure that we keep it cool and it doesn’t go into thermal runaway, where the fire can take hold, accelerate, and blow out with explosive force,’ he said.
Paramedics treated the firefighter at the scene for burns and smoke inhalation.
He was later taken to hospital as a precaution.