Lithium-ion battery fire during assembly at S&C Electric Franklin Facility
Aug 2016Published 10 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- assembly area of S&C Electric Company's Franklin, Wisconsin facility
- What
- fire in partially assembled utility-scale energy storage system
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- local fire departments cut power, applied foam and water
- Outcome
- fire contained to single container and extinguished within hours
Get the next one by email
Free alerts on battery storage incidents in the United States, and an email when EIR-0640 is updated. No account needed; unsubscribe in one click.
Confirm your email and every battery storage incident on the register arrives at once as a spreadsheet (CSV), free.
Get a free sample brief Three complete verified records and the incidents-per-GW table, by email within a minute.
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.
Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): S&C Electric
What happened
On 10 August 2016, a fire broke out in the assembly area of S&C Electric Company's Franklin, Wisconsin facility. The fire started in a utility-scale energy storage system that was still in a partially assembled state, with lithium-ion batteries present but not connected to any power source or load. The fire began in a battery manufacturer's DC power and control compartment within a battery rack and then spread to adjacent batteries.
Because the system was only partially assembled, its fire suppression and containment system was not fully functional and the container doors were open, allowing personnel to evacuate safely. The facility's own fire protection system triggered an alarm and sprinklers. Local fire departments responded, cut power to the area, applied foam and then used large volumes of water to cool the batteries. The fire remained contained to the single container and extinguished within a few hours. No injuries were reported.
Contributing factors
The system was in a partially assembled state at the time of the fire, meaning the fire suppression and containment system within the container was not yet operational and the container doors were open for personnel access. The fire originated in a battery manufacturer's DC power and control compartment of a battery rack while an agent of the battery manufacturer was working on the system.
Lessons learned
- A battery rack fire in a partially assembled BESS can spread to adjacent units when doors are open and the container suppression system is not yet active.
- Water cooling after initial foam application can limit heat spread in lithium-ion battery fires even if the fire is not fully extinguished at once.
More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Battery manufacturer and rack model
- Exact cause of ignition
- Duration of assembly area downtime
- Cost of damage and cleanup
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Franklin
Published 2026-09-10. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
