Battery storage fire burns for days at Idaho Power substation near Melba
Oct 2023Published 11 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Idaho Power's substation near Melba, Idaho
- Operator
- Idaho Power
- What
- 2 MW battery energy storage system caught fire
- Cause
- Not reported
- Outcome
- substation continued operating throughout the incident
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Idaho Power
What happened
A 2 MW battery energy storage system at Idaho Power's substation near Melba, Idaho, caught fire in the early hours of 2 October 2023. The fire burned intermittently until the afternoon of 4 October. The battery system had recently been installed for use as a distribution resource. The blaze did not affect Idaho Power's distribution grid and the substation continued operating throughout the incident. As of 5 October, Idaho Power had not yet been able to investigate the cause because the fire's heat was still too high to allow access.
Drones were flown over the site to monitor temperatures. A senior Idaho Power executive noted that similar battery storage fires occur occasionally across the country and are generally uncommon.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The cause had not been determined at the time of reporting because residual heat prevented investigators from accessing the unit.
Lessons learned
- Battery energy storage fires can burn intermittently over several days, so operators must plan for extended exclusion zones and delayed access.
- Drones allow temperature monitoring of battery fires without sending staff into hazardous zones.
- Battery storage at substations can be sited so a fire leaves grid operation unaffected.
More lessons on detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the fire
- Battery system model and age
- Downtime or repair cost
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-11. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
