Battery room fire at Long Atip solar hybrid station in Sarawak contained by site staff

A fire broke out at a solar hybrid station in the remote settlement of Long Atip, in the Marudi area of Sarawak, involving a room housing about 480 batteries and inverter equipment. The fire was reported at around 8.50am and was brought under control by workers from Sarawak Energy Berhad using nine ABC dry powder extinguishers and five carbon dioxide extinguishers, before volunteer firefighters arrived. A Volunteer Fire Brigade team from Long Bedian reached the site at about 11am and confirmed the fire had been extinguished, then carried out checks and monitored the area to ensure no sources of fire remained. The station's remote location meant the Marudi Fire and Rescue Department team faced a journey of about four hours via logging roads to reach the site. No casualties or injuries were reported. The cause of the fire and the extent of damage had not been established in the initial report.

Not reported. The cause of the fire had not been established in the initial report.

1. Remote hybrid energy stations should maintain on-site firefighting equipment and trained personnel capable of an initial response, given the long travel times for external emergency services.
2. A layered extinguishing approach, using both dry powder and carbon dioxide extinguishers, can help contain battery room fires before external help arrives.
3. Post-incident checks and monitoring by fire services remain important even after an on-site team believes a fire is out, to confirm there are no residual ignition sources.

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