Vehicle fires may be rare, however, fires can escalate quickly due to the presence of flammable fluids, tightly parked cars, and, increasingly, electric vehicle batteries. 

For facility managers, this could be a significant emergency as their parking structure may have been designed without a sprinkler system. 

In this Ask the Expert session, John Denhardt, vice president of engineering and technical services for the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) explained that while EVs often get the headlines, the real issue lies in today’s cars themselves — packed with plastics, foams, and lightweight materials that create intense fuel loads when ignited.

He also highlighted ongoing global testing, the limits of sprinklers in shielded car fires, the effectiveness of fire blankets, and why proper inspection and maintenance of suppression systems is critical for facility managers.

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