Home battery storage fire badly damages house in Burton, Adelaide

What happened

A fire that started in a home battery storage system badly damaged a house in Burton, in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, ABC News reported in February 2022. The battery, which stored energy from the home's solar panels for use at night, in cloudy periods and during blackouts, was in the garage. An occupant woke at 3am to a smoke alarm and bangs from the roof, and the occupants and their pets got out safely.

The Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) estimated the damage at 200,000 dollars. The MFS said lithium-ion battery fires are a growing problem across Australia, need large amounts of water to control, and that fire services were developing policy and procedures for them. Investigators were still working out how the battery caught fire, including whether a fault in the product was to blame.

Contributing factors

Not determined at the time of the report. Investigators were examining how the battery ignited, including whether a product fault was to blame. The MFS said batteries that are pierced or exposed to radiant heat or fire can go into thermal runaway.

Lessons learned

1. Home battery systems should be installed and stored where a fire can be detected early and will not spread easily into living areas, and the location should follow the manufacturer's and local installation rules.
2. Working smoke alarms gave the occupants time to escape here, and homes with battery storage should have alarms covering the room where the battery is kept.
3. Owners should keep batteries maintained and protected from damage and heat, and report faults or warnings to the installer, since damaged lithium-ion cells can go into thermal runaway.

Source

ABC News (Australia) (abc.net.au)