Electric vehicles now account for 6.8% of all motorized vehicles in the United States, a share expected to climb as costs fall and charging infrastructure expands. Policy shifts are accelerating the trend, with eight states, including California, New Jersey, and New York, committed to ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Fleet operators are also transitioning diesel trucks and buses to electric drivetrains. Yet, while EV adoption rises, the hazards posed by their fires remain underexplored.
A staged electric vehicle fire at Florida State Fire College on July 25 brought together a multidisciplinary team led by Alberto Caban-Martinez, Ph.D., D.O., M.P.H., deputy director of the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI) and professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The exercise involved the FCI, the University of Miami’s Departments of Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and several Florida fire departments. The goal: to quantify the environmental and health impacts of EV fires on firefighters and surrounding communities.
“This project represents the future of fire science,” said Dr. Caban-Martinez. “Electric vehicles contain many potential toxins, including gases and metals. As EVs increase in number throughout the world, we need to have reliable information on the consequences of the release of these materials on firefighters, members of the community, the air, the soil and nearby water.”
The FCI has long focused on cancer prevalence among firefighters, developing evidence-based risk reduction strategies and contributing to the World Health Organization’s classification of firefighting as a carcinogenic occupation. Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate director of community outreach and engagement at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, emphasized the knowledge gap. “The dangers from electric vehicle fires are still not fully understood. This research is crucial because it helps us identify the residues and toxins released during these burns. Understanding these hazards will enable us to develop better protective measures, ensuring the safety of firefighters who encounter these situations in the field,” she said.
While data from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board indicate that EVs experience far fewer fires—about 25 per 100,000 sold compared to 1,530 for gasoline vehicles—their lithium-ion batteries present unique challenges. Fires can take hours to control due to prolonged cooling times and the risk of reignition. More than 100 chemicals, including heavy metals, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide, can be released during combustion.
The University of Miami’s Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory (AAQRL) deployed wearable sensors to monitor firefighter exposure in real time. “Our efforts enabled the use of wearable sensors to monitor the potential exposures on a real-time basis to ensure that firefighters and the public remain safe,” said Pratim Biswas, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering. He noted that such experiments could inform the design of next-generation batteries with reduced fire risk.
The study’s protocol involved collecting breath, blood, saliva, urine, and nail samples from participating firefighters before, during, and after the fire, with follow-up sampling planned for up to a year. Environmental sampling extended to air, water, and soil, with soil cores taken to depths of 30 centimeters to assess contaminant migration. “We need to replicate this kind of test many times,” Dr. Caban-Martinez explained, citing the influence of fire location, weather, and wind.
Natasha Schaefer-Solle, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and public health sciences and FCI deputy director, leads the specimen collection team. “We’ve developed a comprehensive array of settings to examine, including, for example, the air before and after the firefighters take off their gear,” she said. The approach reflects translational science—turning findings into protective measures and educational tools.
Graduate researcher Shruti Choudhary described the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration, noting that scientists gain operational insights from firefighters, who in turn better understand the importance of self-protection. Her team is measuring aerosol emissions in real time, collecting air samples for carcinogen analysis, tracking particle size and composition in respiratory exposure, and testing firefighter-worn wristbands for gaseous contaminants.
For Lieutenant Mike Adams of the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, the work underscores a critical message. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, these batteries are safe,” he said. “It’s the exceptions that we worry about.” He aims to expand public awareness through workshops, public service announcements, and battery disposal facilities. “As firefighters, our most important job is prevention in all aspects of fires, including these batteries,” Adams said. “Don’t take these batteries, whether in EVs or any other setting, for granted.”