Energy Incident Register
Register / Battery storage / EIR-0684
← Back to the list
Battery storageUnited StatesEIR-0684

Lead-acid battery container explodes at Rio Dell RV park

Aug 2022Published 12 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantOtherProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordIntegrated by hidden
Where
RV park in Rio Dell, California
What
Lead-acid BESS container exploded on 3 August 2022
Cause
Not reported

What happened

A battery storage container at the River's Edge RV park in Rio Dell, California, exploded on 3 August 2022. The park owner said sealed lead batteries, installed about four years earlier, were a reserve energy source if the park's solar system failed. Public safety personnel found the container without its roof. Nobody was hurt, but the blast severely damaged nearby storage sheds and surrounding trees.

Contributing factors

The cause of the explosion was not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. A behind-the-meter battery used only as solar backup can still fail violently.
  2. Until a cause is known, treat an aged sealed battery container as an explosion hazard and keep people and structures clear of it.
  3. Sites with solar-linked battery backup should have a simple plan for alerting responders to a battery event.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Root cause of the explosion
  • Capacity of the BESS
  • Any injuries or evacuations
  • Site downtime and repair cost

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

Source

epri.box.com

Published 2026-09-12. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

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

Battery storage incidents in the United States: 52 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

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

Browse the full register or submit an incident.