Electric car fire in Covina IKEA garage forces evacuations

A Covina IKEA store and its garage were evacuated on Saturday after an electric vehicle caught fire, authorities said.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the EV caught fire in the store's underground garage on Saturday morning, leading to the evacuations. The surrounding area was placed under evacuation warnings.

There are no known threats at this time, the department said, and the evacuations were made out of "an abundance of caution."

Experts say fires from lithium-ion batteries burn hotter and longer than regular fires, creating different challenges for firefighters.