Dramatic moment £200k car bursts into flames - firefighters fight for control

27 September 2023 , 14:04

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Dramatic moment £200k car bursts into flames - firefighters fight for control

Dramatic footage has shown the moment firefighters attempted to extinguish a burning Porsche that had caught fire in the middle of the street.

The silver vehicle, worth around £200,000, was filmed as it burned in the middle of an intersection in Chongqing, in south-western China, at around 9:00am on Sunday. Various clips appeared to show the blaze engulfing the lux sedan, reportedly an electric Porsche Taycan before it spreads to the rear wheels. Firefighters are seen dousing the burning car with fire extinguishers while other people in the nearby area are forced to stand and wait for the danger to be over.

Audi and Porsche are recalling 6,676 electric vehicles (AsiaWire)

Witnesses at the scene said they were running errands nearby when they suddenly heard a loud noise (AsiaWire)

Witnesses at the scene said they were running errands nearby when they suddenly heard a loud noise, followed by thick smoke billowing from the street. They ran over and saw the silver Porsche ferociously burning before firefighters managed to extinguish it in 20 minutes. Fortunately, there were no casualties and a preliminary investigation revealed the fire was caused by a short circuit in the vehicle's engine. It generated sparks which started a fire that quickly spread and then caused an explosion.

Audi and Porsche are recalling 6,676 electric vehicles due to a potential fire risk and are planning to get dealers to inspect each car and then replace the entire battery if needed. According to Porsche, it first became aware of this issue back in 2022 due to reports of "reduced insulation values" in some Taycan batteries. Now, it’s recalling 4,777 Taycans, all from the 2023 model year and in every body style. Carmakers say that they suspect that only three percent of the 6,676 vehicles in total (approximately 200 cars) have an actual problem.

The two companies told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that: "under certain circumstances, there is a possibility that over time liquid can intrude into the high voltage battery." They add that this problem can increase the risk of a battery fire and that it's caused by a sealant-related issue. It can initially trigger a yellow warning icon on the dashboard and a red warning icon appears if the problem isn't fixed.

Porsche's official customer service stated that they would verify the situation in China as the car was said to have suffered extensive damages. The incident remains under further investigation.

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