VIDEO: The rise in electric vehicle ownership in Maine is sparking concerns for first responders as training related to that technology continues to lag behind.
While data shows fires involving electric vehicles are rare, especially when compared to gasoline powered cars, they are still happening.
Firefighters in Yarmouth experienced that first-hand earlier this month.
"We got on scene and it was fully involved," Yarmouth Fire Chief Michael Robitaille said. "It just lit up and every time we tried to put it out. It would just continue to burn." Robitaille says crews quickly figured out the car was a hybrid-electric vehicle and the fire that started in the engine compartment later spread to the battery below. "We started seeing some different-colored smoke coming out from the back out it, which is not something that we'd normally see," Robitaille said.