At around 4.20 p.m., a fire broke out in one of the 4 compartments of a 26,000m² warehouse. This 6,000m² compartment belonged to a transport and logistics firm specialised in the storage of diverse products, mainly automotive equipment, and stored 12,250 lithium car batteries (Lithium-Metal-Polymer technology). These were used parts intended to be diagnosed with a view to a maintenance decision. Some had been stored for four years. A forklift truck operator preparing shipments for the next day heard sounds of an explosion. He moved in, but the fire was too large to intervene with extinguishers. The audible fire alarm was activated when the personnel present approached the exit door from the compartment, i.e. 5min. after the start of the fire. The employees in the various compartments were evacuated. The fire spread to the adjacent 6,000m² compartment, belonging to a wholesale dealer in automotive tyres and replacement parts, which stored 70,000 tyres, and a third compartment containing textiles and cardboard boxes. A thick plume of black smoke was released and explosions were heard. A safety perimeter was set up. Since the combustion of lithium caused a release of hydrofluoric acid gas, the firefighters use special safety equipment and removed the aerosols from the fourth compartment. They contained the fire in the first three compartments at around 11.30 p.m. using fire hoses, including some from a ladder. The operator initiated guard rounds to prevent any intrusion on the site. The fire extinction operation continued using water with additive and foam on the tyres. The fire was declared neutralised 2 days later at 10.30 p.m. The firefighters left the site after a one-week intervention. A connected power pump unit was left on the site in case the fire resumed.
Access to the damaged building was prohibited. All operations were halted and 165 people were temporarily laid off. Air quality measurements revealed no impact on any of the substances monitored. A specialist company pumped up the firefighting water confined in a retention system to remove it to an appropriate facility, which required a fleet of trucks and lasted 15 days. All the merchandise from the 3 compartments affected (including 892t of lithium batteries) was destroyed. The smoke control system of the first compartment had not worked. An operation was carried out to gather the debris generated by the fire. This was also done outside the site (an emergency call number was set up for nearby residents). Measurements were taken on the atmospheric fallout, particularly on the presence of lithium.
The Classified Facilities Inspectorate noted nonconformities particularly regarding incompatibility and storage conditions. The extinguishing and smoke control systems had been checked and showed no nonconformities.
The BEA-RI (Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses sur les Risques Industriels, i.e., industrial risk investigation and analysis bureau) carried out an enquiry to obtain experience feedback regarding the risks involved in the storage of lithium batteries.
Download the detailed report in .pdf format (unknown file size)
