E3/DC home battery storage system with LG module catches fire in Germany

A volunteer fire brigade was called to a fire described as suspicious in the basement of a house in Werne, Germany, involving a home battery storage system. Nobody was present at the scene. The unit was identified as an E3/DC S10E 6.5 home power plant, commissioned in 2019, containing a battery module made by LG Energy Solution. Firefighters found the enclosed 6 kWh battery difficult to extinguish because flames repeatedly re-ignited behind a sheet metal panel. Thermal imaging showed the battery self-igniting whenever cooling was interrupted and the internal temperature rose again. In consultation with the installer, firefighters separated the DC connection, dismantled the wall-mounted battery, took it outside and cooled it further in a portable 600 litre container. The basement suffered fire damage and power lines were damaged, so technicians switched the house to the main security box, and the smoke damaged apartment and basement were ventilated after inspection. As a precaution, E3/DC said it would replace battery modules for 77 potentially affected customers while supporting LG Energy Solution in identifying possible causes.

The fire brigade reported that the battery repeatedly self-ignited when cooling was interrupted and internal temperature rose again. Reports attributed the fire to an electrical fault with the home storage system, but authorities were still establishing the cause at the time of reporting.

1. Enclosed residential battery modules can be very difficult to extinguish once thermal runaway begins, even at small capacities, and may need continuous cooling until they can be removed.
2. Traceability of battery module batches allows rapid precautionary replacement across a fleet when a fault is suspected.
3. Thermal imaging and a route to contact the manufacturer or installer during an incident help crews isolate and cool residential battery systems safely.

News report via Google News