When an electric vehicle catches on fire, it's an especially dangerous situation for everyone, including firefighters. But thanks to a grant, Aurora Fire Rescue has access to more resources to help fight EV fires.

"When it does ignite, it will burn extremely hot, extremely intense," explained Aurora Fire Rescue Firefighter and Paramedic Paul Shoemaker. "There could be up to 35, maybe even 40 different types of gases that come off of these, and all of them are very toxic to the respiratory system for the firefighters and to the bystanders that would be standing around these vehicles."

He is an expert on EV fires, and he says fighting them is tricky and sometimes not possible, like in the case of a deadly crash earlier this year. A Tesla caught fire after a high-speed collision, but all Aurora Fire could do was let it burn out.

That didn't sit well with them, so they bought a special blanket they can use to help them contain an electric vehicle fire if they ever have one again. Shoemaker said they recognized the blanket's benefit to the citizens of Aurora.

But Aurora is Colorado's third largest city, and the blanket can only be used once. So, they decided to apply for money to get more.

The E-470 safety foundation has an annual grant that it gives out to the community. This year, they gave Aurora Fire Rescue $2,500 to buy more EV blankets. That, added to some already allocated funds, means the department will be able to buy five more EV blankets. One for each Battalion Chief.

"We really strive to have a safe roadway. And so, I think it's very important that the first responders are equipped," said Joe Donahue, Executive Director of E470 Public Highway Authority.

If there were ever an EV fire on E470 in Aurora, Aurora Fire Rescue would respond, and they say that this grant and the blankets they will buy with the money will keep citizens safe everywhere in the city and on the tollway.

"Out on 470, we don't have a water supply. This is going to allow us to put them over the top of the car, delay that chemical reaction, get the fire apparatus on scene and be able to apply water to it and rapidly cool it down," said Shoemaker.

E470 says all the money they give out is raised. None of it comes from tolls.