Sydney Airport car fire: Five vehicles destroyed after an electric car’s lithium-ion battery ignited

Five cars were left as burned-out wrecks after an inferno broke out in an airport parking lot caused by an electric vehicle’s lithium-ion battery fire.

Fire and Rescue NSW was called to a Sydney Airport car park at around 8.30pm on Monday to assess the devastating scene.

While the lithium-ion battery was disconnected from the luxury car, it was stored in the parking lot and identified as the cause of the fire in the Airport Drive Mascot parking lot.

A fire that started in the lithium-ion battery of an electric vehicle has resulted in five cars being gutted at Sydney Airport

The air rescue fire brigade was also involved in fighting the fire.

The fire is being investigated by the FRNSW Fire Investigation and Research Unit.

The FRNSW Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies Safety (SARET) team is also investigating the cause of the fire.

“These insights will help them continually develop best practices for emergency response to lithium-related fires,” it said in a statement.

“(It will also) educate industry on how to manage the risks associated with new technologies.”

An investigation has been launched into the parking lot fire that broke out on Monday morning

The fire was traced to a battery that had been removed from the vehicle and stored in the parking lot

Lithium battery fires are becoming a growing problem worldwide as millions of electric cars, electric bikes and e-scooters flood into the consumer market.

In Australia alone, 180 lithium battery fires were reported in NSW, 120 in Victoria, 72 in Queensland and 59 in WA last year.

Faulty or low-quality batteries can ignite during charging, but can also catch fire when they are not connected at all.

Damage or harsh weather conditions such as direct sunlight or flooding may cause leakage of the pressurized electrolyte fluid, which is highly flammable.