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I learnt with great concern that the fire in a basement carpark in South Korea was reportedly sparked by an electric vehicle ( , Aug 8). The possibility of an EV catching fire may be lower than that of other types of vehicles like fossil-fuel and hybrids, but when one is ablaze it can be a lot more devastating. EVs are powered by a dense array of lithium-ion batteries, which are packed with chemicals, and when they burn, it can result in a chain reaction known as thermal runaway. We have already witnessed in Singapore a number of fires in flats caused by such batteries in personal mobility devices. Singapore is densely populated, like Seoul, with many carparks embedded in residential and commercial buildings, whether in basements or upper floors. With EV adoption now reaching critical mass in Singapore, the risk of an uncontrolled fire due to such vehicles is real, even though none has occurred yet. Could the relevant authorities comment on whether building codes need to be relooked to mitigate carpark fires due to lithium-ion batteries?