Battery container fire and explosion in Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg

Apr 2023Published 10 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: Sisjon industrial area of Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg
What: Fire broke out in battery storage container with nine tonnes of lithium batteries
Injuries: One person taken to hospital with breathing difficulties
Response: Firefighters used cutting extinguisher; firefighting continued overnight
Cause: Under investigation

We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.

What happened

A fire broke out in a battery storage container holding around nine tonnes of lithium batteries in the Sisjon industrial area of Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg. The container, which was on wheels, was moved from indoors to outdoors after smoke was detected. Firefighters used a cutting extinguisher to cool the battery pack, but several minutes later an explosion occurred. A nearby building sustained some damage in the early stages of the fire and was evacuated as a precaution.

Police issued a public warning (VMA) due to hazardous smoke, and residents in the area were told to stay indoors. One person was taken to hospital by ambulance due to breathing difficulties. Firefighting continued overnight. The following day, the batteries began smoking again, and the container was eventually submerged in water inside a larger container using a crane.

Contributing factors

The source reports the fire originated in a container of lithium batteries (NMC chemistry) and that an explosion occurred after initial cooling efforts; no specific root cause or ignition source was confirmed in the reporting, and police stated a technical investigation would follow.

Lessons learned

A lithium battery container can explode after initial cooling with a cutting extinguisher, so operators should keep exclusion zones during any move or response.
Lithium battery fires can reignite the day after apparent control, so plans must include extended monitoring and a means to submerge the container.
Smoke from an NMC battery container can affect nearby buildings and residents, so response plans should include prompt public warnings and evacuations.

More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, detection and monitoring, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Root cause of the fire
Battery container model and age
Duration of site downtime
Cost of damage and response

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

Source

svt.se

Published 2026-09-10. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0627 holds the capacity, the root cause, what failed and the fire service response as fields you can filter, count and export, with its 4 sources and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Capacity: •••••
Failed part: •••••••
Fire service response: ••••••••••
Sources: ••••••••••••••

Opens with either of these:

Once per person; every record, every page, for reading, and 1 free question to Ask the register; no subscription

Analyst, £39 a month

Ask the register any question in plain words and get a sourced answer in seconds (20 a month), plus the full record behind every entry. Cancel at any time. Limited-time price, rising to £79. Join now and keep £39.

Open the record in Lookup

Or get this one record free by email

Around this incident