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Battery storageSouth AfricaEIR-0112

Battery fire at Table Mountain Aerial Cableway halts cable car service in Cape Town

Oct 2024Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
Lower Station parking garage, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Cape Town, South Africa
What
Fire in lithium-ion battery bank used as backup power
Cause
Under investigation
Response
Fire contained within about four hours
Outcome
Cableway operations suspended pending structural assessment

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

What happened

In 2024, a fire broke out in the Lower Station parking garage of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in Cape Town, South Africa, in a lithium-ion battery bank used as backup power for the cableway. The fire started in the early afternoon and was reported as contained within about four hours. It damaged the parking garage and an adjacent administration building but did not reach the machinery driving the cableway.

Passengers who were at the upper terminal at the time were brought down safely. Retail and catering services at the lower terminal continued to operate, while cableway operations were suspended pending a structural engineering assessment of the affected buildings. The cause was under investigation at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Not reported. Sources stated that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Lessons learned

  1. A lithium-ion battery fire in a parking garage can spread to adjacent buildings, so operators should check separation distances and fire rated compartmentation around backup battery banks.
  2. Passengers at an upper terminal depend on the cableway for return, so emergency plans must include tested backup or manual means to bring them down safely.
  3. Even when critical machinery is undamaged, a structural engineering assessment is needed before resuming operations after a fire.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, electrical protection and isolation, structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Battery model and age
  • Cost of the damage
  • Duration of cableway suspension

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

greenbuildingafrica.co.za

Other entries that name Cape

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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