in World News Electric Vehicle Bursts Into Flames Inside Underground Parking Lot – Over 20 People Hospitalized, 100+ Vehicles Damaged
By Danielle
An unplugged electric Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire inside an underground parking lot at an apartment complex in Incheon, South Korea.
The fiery incident sent over 20 people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and forced 700 residents to evacuate.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, it took fire authorities eight hours to completely extinguish the blaze.
“The vehicle, which appears to be a white Mercedes EQE sedan, is seen exploding around two seconds after showing smoke in CCTV footage,” the outlet wrote.
Korea JoongAng Daily reports:
Twenty-one people who inhaled smoke were transferred to hospitals for medical treatment, including a firefighter who’d experienced dizziness. Seven of them were children younger than 10, including a one-year-old and a four-year-old.
As of press time, 103 people had been evacuated and 106 rescued from stairs and balconies amid the suffused smoke.
Some 70 cars parked near the Mercedes were damaged, according to fire authorities.
“The burned car is confirmed to be an EV from Mercedes-Benz,” police said. “We will conduct an immediate investigation of the exact cause of the fire with the local fire authority.”