Burning van blocks B 273: High damage and stauchaos!

Burning van blocks B 273: High damage and stauchaos!

B 273, Deutschland - A current vehicle fire caused considerable traffic disruptions on Saturday, June 21, 2025. According to Cityreport , the fire occurred at 3:50 p.m. on the B 273 between the Weinberg settlement and the entrance to Nauen. A Renault Transporter had a technical defect in the engine compartment while driving, which led to high heat development and finally let the vehicle open in flames.

liability issues for vehicle fires

But what happens legally in such a case? A burning vehicle often raises complex liability issues. The Anwalt.de explains that, according to a judgment of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) of December 12, 2023, not every vehicle fire automatically leads to liability of the owner. Accordingly, the owner is only responsible if the fire is directly related to an operating process or a technical device of the vehicle.

This means that the holder is liable for damage from the operation of his vehicle, but not for fires that are triggered by external influences or general waste of material. In the case of a technical defect that the Renault transporter has experienced, the owner could theoretically occur if the fire has been proven to result from a company -relevant component.

fire statistics and risk assessment

A look at the fire statistics shows that a total of 14,200 comprehensive cars burned in Germany in 2023. The GDV reports that both combustion and electric cars fall into this balance. Motor vehicle insurers had to raise over 100 million euros for this, with the average costs of a vehicle fire being around 7,100 euros.

While it was afraid for a long time that electric vehicles could have a higher fire risk, it turned out that this is not the case. As a rule, electric cars do not burn more often than their conventional counterparts. Nevertheless, one should keep in mind that fires are often caused by problems with the battery, especially due to thermal runaway. Overheating and chain reactions can lead to difficult fires.

The challenges in fire fighting should not be underestimated for the fire brigade. For electric vehicles, the emergency services needed special strategies and usually have to cool with water long -lasting to delete the batteries. In addition, fire fighting in underground garages is particularly difficult due to smoke and extreme temperatures.