Luxury Hybrid Car Catches Fire During Overnight Charging

PATHUM THANI — A luxury hybrid car worth more than 1 million baht caught fire after being left charging overnight at a townhouse in Pathum Thani province. The incident was reported to the disaster prevention and mitigation unit of Khlong Sam Subdistrict Administrative Organisation in Khlong Luang district at a housing estate in Khlong Sam subdistrict.

Dr. Wirasak Hadda, chief executive of the Khlong Sam Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, arrived at the scene with two fire engines. The property was a two-storey townhouse. Firefighters found a white sedan parked in front of the house with flames rapidly spreading inside the passenger compartment. Firefighters immediately sprayed water to prevent the flames from spreading to the house and neighbouring properties. The blaze was brought under control within about one hour. The driver's compartment was severely damaged by the fire.

The 36-year-old owner said he returned home at around 22:00 on Aug. 15 and plugged the car in to charge before going to bed. At around 08:00 the following morning, a security guard rang the doorbell. When he went downstairs, he noticed smoke coming from the car, although it was not yet heavy. He immediately unplugged the charger, grabbed the car keys and opened the vehicle's door. A large amount of smoke then poured out, as seen in footage of the incident.

The owner initially suspected that excessive heat from the hybrid battery may have caused the fire, but said the exact cause remained unknown. It was unclear whether the incident was caused by a deteriorating battery or a system malfunction. The vehicle's dashboard had displayed no warning signs or error messages before the incident.

The owner said the situation could have been much worse if the fire had spread to the house. He credited his quick response and the firefighters' arrival for limiting the damage to the vehicle. The second-hand car was purchased for slightly more than 1 million baht and had been used by him for about two years. Including its previous owner's use, the vehicle was estimated to be about four years old.

The owner said he had already notified his insurer, as the vehicle was covered by comprehensive insurance. The insurance company had contacted him and begun handling the case. As the incident occurred on a Sunday, he had not yet been able to contact the vehicle's service centre to arrange an inspection and determine the cause of the fire and extent of the damage.

He said he was unlikely to feel comfortable driving the car again, even if it was deemed repairable. He would wait for an assessment to determine whether the vehicle could safely be repaired and returned to service. The owner said he had maintained the vehicle normally, taking it to a service centre for annual inspections and regular scheduled maintenance. He also understood that the vehicle was equipped with warning systems that should display an error message if a problem occurred with the hybrid system.