Explosion and multi-day fire at SIN11 Digital Loyang 1 data centre, Singapore

A fire alarm was triggered at SIN11 Digital Loyang 1, a multi-storey data centre at 3 Loyang Way, Loyang, Singapore, operated by Digital Realty, after an explosion occurred in a lithium-ion battery energy storage system used for uninterruptible power supply, located in battery rooms on the third floor. Approximately 20 occupants evacuated before fire crews arrived, and all site workers were evacuated shortly after the alarm. Fire services deployed four water jets, activated the building sprinkler system, and used an unmanned firefighting robot to cool the batteries. The fire, which affected two battery rooms, two power supply rooms and an equipment storage area, took more than two days to be declared under control. A preliminary structural assessment found minor damage, including plaster delamination, paint peeling and soot, but no loss of overall structural integrity. Building authorities issued closure and dangerous building orders for affected areas as a precaution. Cloud service disruptions were reported by tenant organisations. No injuries were reported.

Early investigation by the fire authority indicated the fire was likely caused by an electrical issue in one of the battery rooms; this finding was described as provisional.

1. Battery energy storage systems used for backup power in multi-tenant facilities can pose fire risks comparable to utility-scale installations and warrant equivalent fire safety design and response planning.
2. Rapid and complete evacuation protocols, combined with early activation of suppression systems, can prevent injuries even during prolonged, multi-day thermal events.
3. Robotic or remote cooling equipment can allow safe damping-down of battery fires without exposing personnel to ongoing thermal runaway risk.
4. Post-incident structural assessments and precautionary closure orders help ensure safe re-occupancy decisions are based on verified engineering findings rather than assumptions.

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