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Battery storageUnited StatesEIR-0634

Consumers Energy battery fire triggers shelter-in-place in Standish, Michigan

Apr 2021Published 10 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fire
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out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
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Where
Battery storage site in Standish, Michigan
Operator
Consumers Energy
What
Fire broke out in a single battery container
Injuries
None reported
Cause
Not reported

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Consumers Energy

What happened

A battery storage installation operated by Consumers Energy in Standish, Michigan caught fire on 19 April 2021. A worker noticed sparks coming from a battery container at around 3:00pm local time, and a fire broke out that was contained to a single container. Local authorities issued a shelter-in-place order covering a half-mile radius to the east, north and south of the site due to concerns about potentially toxic fumes from the lithium-ion batteries.

HAZMAT teams were called in to assess air quality and the surrounding area, and determined there was no danger. The shelter-in-place order was lifted around 7:00pm, roughly four hours after it began. No injuries were reported. The battery system used lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and was very new at the time of the incident.

Contributing factors

The source does not state a confirmed root cause. The fire was limited to one container out of the installation, and the system was reported as very new (effectively zero years old) at the time of the incident.

Lessons learned

  1. Sparks noticed early in a battery container limited the fire to one enclosure.
  2. HAZMAT air quality checks allowed the shelter-in-place order to end after four hours.
  3. LFP battery fires still require toxic fume precautions even when very new.

More lessons on emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Root cause of the fire
  • Battery container model and supplier
  • Downtime and repair cost

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

Source

wsgw.com

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

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Chart to reuse with this story: Battery storage incidents in the United States, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

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Battery storage fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: battery storage container fires.

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