Electric bus fire kills one, reignites concern over EV fire response

Summarised by Centrist

A crash in Auckland’s Parnell left one person dead after an electric bus erupted into flames on Tāmaki Drive.

Witnesses described frantic rescue attempts as the fire spread beyond control. Sixteen fire trucks responded as flames rose “three to four metres high,” with crews working into the morning to fully extinguish the blaze.

Initial reports from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) suggested the bus’s lithium batteries had ignited or were at risk of reigniting, prompting extensive containment measures and a cordon that lasted through the day. However, by early afternoon, FENZ confirmed the batteries had remained intact and that the fire’s cause was unrelated to a thermal runaway event.

Nz's first EV bus fire tragedy disappears from front pages of climate activist media RNZ and Stuff.

For the record, one believed dead on bus and fire still not under control after ten hours as lithium batteries entered thermal runaway.

Tamaki Drive remains closed https://t.co/MT4oZ9hxtv

— Ian Wishart (@investigatemag) October 22, 2025

Even so, the incident exposed how every crash involving an electric vehicle must be treated as a high-risk event, requiring specialised resources and extended operations until battery safety can be confirmed.

Auckland Transport said it was working with police and fire investigators to determine what happened. The crash shut a major route through the morning peak, causing widespread disruption.

Investigative journalist Ian Wishart, who has long warned about the operational challenges of EV fires, said the city remains unprepared for the strain such incidents place on emergency services and commuters.

Although the lithium packs did not ignite, the response underscored how safety concerns and uncertainty continue to shape New Zealand’s EV transition.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after Fire and Emergency clarified that the electric bus’s batteries did not ignite. Early reports and witness statements indicated a potential lithium fire, but subsequent investigation asserts that the blaze was unrelated to a thermal runaway event. The article has been reframed to reflect this clarification while examining the broader safety and resource implications of EV incidents.

Read Ian Wishart’s Centrist Exclusive series NZ Unprepared for EV fire Risks Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Read more over at The NZ Herald

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