KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 27 fire cases involving electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid cars were recorded by the Fire and Rescue Department from 2023 to July this year.

Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman ​​Athirah Sabu said while EVs can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and are more environmentally friendly, they still pose a significant fire risk.

She said the department was of the view that EV fires were among the biggest challenges due to the high level of risk during firefighting operations.

“The use of fire blankets is among the most effective methods for extinguishing electric vehicle fires, in addition to water and foam,” she said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara yesterday.

She was responding to a question from Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim, who wanted to know whether the ministry plans to purchase and supply fire blankets to fire stations in major cities following the recent increase in EV and hybrid car fire incidents.

Commenting further, Aiman ​​Athirah said the Fire and Rescue Department had procured 318 fire blankets worth RM915,000 this year, to be distributed to selected fire stations nationwide.

“In addition, the department also received 30 units of fire blankets from the Malaysia Zero Emission Vehicle Association (MyZeva), which had been distributed in stages starting December 2024 until May 13 this year.”

The Fire and Rescue Department is studying the use of other special equipment including cooling agents or immersion containers.

“Currently, the cooling agent used by the department to extinguish fire on EVs is water, which aims to reduce the heat level of the battery, preventing the fire from becoming larger and spreading to other areas.

“The use of other cooling agents such as dry powder, clean agent and inert gas is not suitable for use in open areas because it requires the concept of total flooding to function effectively,” she said in response to a supplementary question by Ahmad.