Lithium battery storage fire in Chandler, Arizona prompts evacuations
Apr 2022Published 8 Nov 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
A fire broke out on a Monday morning, reported as 18 April 2022, at the AES Battery Warehouse, a lithium battery storage facility near 54th Street and Pecos Road in Chandler, Arizona. Investigators said more than 3,000 batteries were involved. The facility's internal sprinkler system kept the batteries cool but did not extinguish the fire, and the batteries continued to smoulder and smoke. On 21 April the fire department recommended that businesses within a quarter mile evacuate, and 56th Street was closed between Frye and Allison Roads.
Crews used a robot to open doors and air out the building of flammable chemicals. The Chandler Fire Department adopted a defensive approach and did not re-enter the building. Road closures and evacuations were lifted at the time of reporting, though the source gives conflicting dates for when the evacuation ended. Officials said the cause of the fire was not yet known and it was too early to speculate.
Contributing factors
The source does not state the root cause. Officials said it was too early to speculate on the cause.
Lessons learned
- Fire suppression systems that keep battery modules cool may not extinguish a battery fire, so operators should plan for long, smouldering incidents.
- Emergency plans for battery storage sites should set evacuation radii and road closure procedures before an incident occurs.
- Fire services should consider defensive tactics and remote tools such as robots for ventilation where a battery fire is smouldering, drawing on lessons from earlier battery fires in the same region.
More lessons on fire suppression and firefighting, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.
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Published 2026-11-08. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
