Battery fire at solar-plus-storage site in Hongnong-eup, Yeonggwang-gun destroys modules

In November 2024 a fire broke out in the afternoon at a battery energy storage system installed at a 1.6 MW solar power facility in Hongnong-eup, Dandeok-ri, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Around fifteen fire engines and dozens of firefighters attended, and the blaze was brought under control after approximately five hours. One battery storage building of about 42 square metres and roughly 560 battery modules were destroyed. No injuries were reported. The facility sits within about 200 metres of residential housing and a community centre for elderly residents, and the proximity of the installation to inhabited areas was raised locally following the fire.

The source reported that the fire was suspected to have originated from overheating of a large-format lithium iron phosphate battery. The exact ignition mechanism was not confirmed in the source.

1. Treat lithium iron phosphate installations as capable of significant thermal events and apply the same detection, alarm and emergency response measures used for other lithium chemistries rather than a reduced standard.
2. Plan for suppression and cooling operations lasting several hours with substantial appliance numbers, and confirm with the local fire service that water supply, access and standoff arrangements support an extended defensive attack.
3. Where storage is co-located with generation, design containment and separation so that a fire in one battery building does not spread to adjacent modules, inverters or array infrastructure.
4. For sites near housing or community facilities, document separation distances, smoke and gas dispersion assumptions and public information arrangements as part of the site risk assessment, and review them with local authorities.

ygnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html