Battery storage container fire at Aghione solar site, France
Apr 2023Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Aghione solar site, Haute-Corse, France
- What
- Fire in lithium-ion battery storage container at 95% state of charge
- Injuries
- Two firefighters injured and three more hospitalised for smoke inhalation
- Response
- Automatic inert gas suppression activated; cooling continued for ten days
- Cause
- Under investigation
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What happened
In 2023 a fire broke out in a lithium-ion battery storage container at a co-located solar generation site in Aghione, Haute-Corse, France. The battery system was reported to be at about 95% state of charge at the time. An automatic inert gas suppression system activated, and emergency teams responded and isolated power supplies. Shortly after container doors were opened for firefighting, a further thermal event and an explosion occurred, injuring two firefighters who were taken to hospital.
Three more firefighters were later hospitalised for smoke inhalation. Nearby homes and an adjacent industrial facility were evacuated and roads were closed, while a residential area several kilometres away was advised to remain indoors. Firefighters applied sustained water cooling to manage thermal runaway and to prevent spread to an adjacent container. Cooling continued for around ten days until temperatures stabilised, and the emergency response concluded after approximately two weeks. An investigation into the causes was opened by the relevant national technological accident authority.
Contributing factors
The source states that the battery system was at a high state of charge, around 95%, when the fire started, meaning a large amount of stored energy had to be dissipated before conditions could stabilise. The source also records that a thermal event and explosion occurred shortly after the container was opened during firefighting.
Lessons learned
- A lithium-ion battery at 95% state of charge releases large stored energy during fire, so operators should supply state of charge data to responders before any incident.
- Opening a battery container after inert gas suppression can trigger thermal event and explosion, so procedures must set safe stand-off distances before doors are opened.
More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Battery system model and age
- Total downtime and repair cost
- Final cause of the initial fire
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
