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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Jasper Jolly

Do electric cars pose a greater fire risk than petrol or diesel vehicles?

The scene at Luton airport after a fire ripped through level three of the Terminal Car Park 2, causing it to collapse.
A fire in a car park at Luton airport led to speculation an electric car was to blame but the fire service says it appears to have started in a diesel car. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

When a fire ripped through a car park at Luton airport last month it set off a round of speculation that an electric vehicle was to blame. The theory was quickly doused by the Bedfordshire fire service, which said the blaze appeared to have started in a diesel car.

Yet the rumour refused to be quelled, spreading on social media like, well, wildfire. Even when these stories are patiently debunked, they come back as zombie myths that refuse to die.

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