A major fire has been burning for over 24 hours aboard the Morning Midas, a cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, roughly 1,200 miles off Alaska’s coast. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the fire began Tuesday on a deck containing EVs, prompting all 22 crew members to abandon ship and be rescued by a nearby vessel. Due to the threat of lithium-ion battery explosions, the Coast Guard is allowing the fire to burn out while monitoring from a safe distance. No firefighting assets were immediately available, and a salvage team is not expected until Monday. The incident, reminiscent of the 2022 Felicity Ace disaster, underscores the growing risk of EV battery fires at sea. An investigation into the cause is underway.
