Hollywood Hills, CA – On January 11, 2024, at approximately 8 p.m., an electric BMW i3 erupted in flames outside a home in the Hollywood Hills, burning to the ground and spreading fire to nearby brush and part of the residence before the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) extinguished the blaze. The driver safely exited the vehicle moments before it ignited, caused significant damage and raised concerns about electric vehicle (EV) fire risks.
LAFD crews from Fire Station 27 responded to a 911 call reporting a vehicle fire in the 2300 block of N Cahuenga Boulevard, finding a BMW i3 fully engulfed in flames outside a single-family hillside home, according to LAFD. The driver, an adult male, had exited the vehicle just before it ignited for unknown reasons, escaping injury. The fire, fueled by the car’s lithium-ion battery, spread rapidly to adjacent dry brush—exacerbated by the region’s drought conditions—and ignited the home’s exterior, charring wooden siding and a deck.
Firefighters deployed hose lines to attack the vehicle and brush fires while protecting the home’s interior, achieving a knockdown in about 20 minutes. The BMW i3 was reduced to a charred frame, and the brush fire scorched roughly a quarter-acre before containment. The home sustained moderate exterior damage but remained habitable, with no interior spread. No injuries were reported, and the cause is under investigation by LAFD, with focus on the vehicle’s battery system, a known EV fire hazard. Tips can be reported to LAFD at (213) 893-9800 or CHP Hollywood at (323) 259-3200
