Multiple fire crews are attending the scene of an electric vehicle fire in Bethlehem, Tauranga.

An electric truck caught fire in the carpark outside Kmart at Bethlehem Town Centre, causing large clouds of billowing smoke to drift across the surrounding area, blanketing a section of Bethlehem Rd and parts of the Bethlehem Town Centre.

Nearby shops have been closed, with bystanders saying they were evacuated from Kmart, Dominos and Burgerfuel.

The electric truck on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3. Photo/Therese Hamahona.

“We received a call at 4.50pm,” Fire Emergency New Zealand northern shift manager Gareth Lewis said.

“It was an electric truck with two batteries on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre.”

Lewis said there are no reports of any injuries.

Fire crews working at the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“We’ve been there since after receiving the call; what we’re doing is cooling it with a significant amount of water.”

He said about 20 fire fighters were at the scene.

Fire crews working at the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“We’ve got three fire trucks there, from Tauranga and Greerton,” Lewis said.

“And in addition to that, we’ve got three support vehicles. And we have a hazmat unit on the way as well, because it’s hazardous substances.

“The hazardous materials unit have special equipment to deal with these sorts of incidents.

“Effectively we just have to drown the batteries, to allow them to cool, and we expect to be there for a few hours.”

The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

A masked volunteer fire fighter at the scene said the smoke was difficult to work with.

Bethlehem Rd is blocked from the first entrance into Bethlehem Town Centre to Westermoreland Rise and locals have been advised to close their house windows and stay indoors.

Bethlehem Road was cordoned off while fire crews attended the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

A detour is in place from State Highway 2 into Bethlehem Rd, into Bethlehem Town Centre, then Te Paeroa Road, then Cambridge Road and back on to Bethlehem Road.

Bethlehem Road was cordoned off while fire crews attended the scene of an electric truck fire at Bethlehem Town Centre.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Lewis said a fire investigator is also in attendance.

“They will do their investigation into the cause of the fire.”

He asks that people stay clear of the scene.

“We just ask members of the public to respect the cordons that are in place and to just allow the firefighters to do their work.”

The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Lewis said the fire crews will be managing the fire for a few more hours this evening.

“We’re expecting to be there for a while. Batteries take a long time.”

EV truck fires are particularly intense due to large battery size and complex failure modes. Once a fire starts, it becomes a prolonged operation due to the chemical and structural nature of lithium-ion cells.

People were evacuated from nearby stores after an electric truck caught fire in the Bethlehem Town Centre carpark on Saturday, May 3.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Thermal runaway can occur during fast charging or overcharging, where one cell in the lithium-ion battery overheats and causes a chain reaction, igniting neighbouring cells.

Once thermal runaway begins, the battery essentially feeds its own fire, making it difficult to suppress with conventional firefighting methods.

The batteries of an electric truck caught on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3, resulting in clouds of billowing smoke.  Photo/Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Water doesn’t work well on these types of fire, as thousands of litres of water may be required to cool the battery sufficiently, and even after appearing extinguished, batteries can reignite as internal temperatures spike again.

Burning EV batteries can release toxic gases like hydrogen fluoride, requiring firefighters to take extra precautions.

The electric truck on fire at Bethlehem Town Centre on Saturday, May 3. Photo/Therese Hamahona.