No injuries after electric vehicle charger catches fire at New Westminster gas station

Firefighters doused a blaze at an electric vehicle charging station in New Westminster Saturday afternoon. (CTV News)

Firefighters doused a blaze at an electric vehicle charging station in New Westminster Saturday afternoon.

The call came in shortly after noon, according to Platoon Capt. Kevin Kula of New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services.

The charger that went up in flames was located at the Chevron station on McBride Boulevard near 8th Avenue, and Kula said crews were concerned about preventing the fuel pumps from igniting.

A dozen firefighters responded to the scene and worked to extinguish the fire, which took “a while” to cool down, Kula said.

He said it’s the first time he’s heard of an EV charger fire in New Westminster, noting that electric vehicles and infrastructure related to them tend to burn hotter and require more cooling because of the materials involved.

No one was injured in Saturday’s blaze, the cause of which has not yet been determined.