Battery room fire at Digital Realty data centre in Hillsboro, Oregon

In May 2025 a fire broke out in a battery room at the Digital Realty data centre in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, prompting a significant response from the local fire service. Crews arriving on scene found batteries alight, with the fire contained to a single room, though thick smoke spread through the wider building. All occupants were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. Given the difficulty of extinguishing lithium-ion battery fires, the fire service adopted a defensive strategy, containing the fire and allowing the batteries to burn out rather than attempting direct suppression. The fire burned for approximately five hours before being declared over. The cause remained under investigation at the time of reporting.

Not reported.

1. Battery rooms in data centres and other critical facilities can produce prolonged fires that are difficult to suppress and that push heavy smoke into adjacent occupied spaces, so smoke migration paths should be assessed as part of the fire strategy, not just the room of origin.
2. Agree defensive tactics with the local fire service in advance, including the conditions under which a battery fire will be contained and allowed to burn out, so that water supply, exclusion zones and expected duration are understood before an incident.
3. Base evacuation and muster arrangements on smoke spread rather than on the location of the fire itself, since a fire physically confined to one room can still make a whole building untenable.
4. Plan for incident durations of several hours, covering crew relief, run-off containment, air monitoring and communications with neighbours and staff.

kptv.com/2025/05/23/fire-hillsboro-data-center-burns-5-hours