Battery storage cabinet fire at Guangtong Logistics Park, Zhuhai City

What happened

An indoor lithium-ion battery energy storage cabinet at Guangtong Logistics Park, Pingbei 2nd Road, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai City, caught fire on 19 August 2023. The system comprised five battery cabinets connected in series, with cabinets 1 and 2 involved in the fire, covering an area of about 5 square metres. The Zhuhai Fire and Rescue Detachment dispatched 9 fire trucks and 39 personnel, extinguishing the visible fire within about 30 minutes of arrival using water cannons and hydrants.

During subsequent cooling, the battery cabinet reignited. Staff, protected by fire crews, used a forklift to move each cabinet to an outdoor open area, where they were cooled for up to 9 hours until confirmed safe with no risk of re-ignition. No casualties were reported. The cause of the fire remained under investigation at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Reignition occurred during the cooling phase after initial suppression, indicating residual thermal risk within the battery cabinets. The indoor architecture of the system limited natural smoke extraction, requiring fire services to open additional smoke outlets and deploy mobile ventilation equipment.

Lessons learned

1. Indoor BESS cabinets can reignite after initial suppression, so operators must plan extended cooling and monitoring before declaring safety.
2. Indoor sites limit smoke extraction, so operators should fit mechanical ventilation and pre-planned smoke outlets.
3. Forklift relocation of burning cabinets requires pre-agreed procedures with fire crews to limit escalation.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, emergency response and public communication, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Battery cabinet model and age
• Total downtime and repair cost
• Operator of the site

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Source

epri.box.com