Battery fire at Arizona substation followed by explosion injures four firefighters

What happened

Peoria firefighters were called to a battery fire at a power substation just outside Phoenix, Arizona, on a Friday night, reported as 19 April 2019. As the firefighters made entry, an explosion occurred. The blast reportedly knocked helmets and facemasks off the firefighters. Four firefighters were injured. One, who was knocked unconscious, was reported to be in critical condition, two were reported to be in serious condition, and a fourth was reported to be stable with minor injuries. The operator, the site name and the equipment involved have not been reported.

Contributing factors

Not yet reported. The cause of the battery fire and of the explosion is not known from the available report. Battery chemistry, state of charge and fire suppression arrangements have not been reported.

Lessons learned

1. Responders approaching a battery fire at an energy site should assume a risk of explosion and keep to safe standoff distances until the operator has confirmed the state of the system.
2. Operators should give fire services site-specific information on battery chemistry, hazards and isolation procedures, and keep it current.
3. Battery and substation sites should have gas detection and explosion mitigation for off-gassing from failing cells, with emergency plans shared with local fire services.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, worker safety and safe systems of work, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Source

6abc.com