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Explosive fire with battlefield characteristics |
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A serious fire in a factory used for the recycling of batteries required a multi-agency approach and a three day commitment from West Midlands Fire Service to bring to a conclusion, reports ACO
Martin Clark THE FIRE STARTED AT 1900 ON Tuesday, March 25, shortly after the employees left the G&P Batteries premises. The fire involved a range of battery type and quantities: 15 tons nickel cadmium, 20 tons nickel hydride, 100 tons alkaline and 50 tons of lithium.
The first crews to arrive were faced with a rapidly developing fire that was spreading within the industrial unit and threatening an adjacent open timber yard which was the size of a football pitch. Attendance was quickly increased to 14 fire engines with the support of two aerial platforms, support pumps and a range of specialist equipment. A defensive position was then established with the objective of preventing fire spread. Early discussions with the company’s management team as a part of their business continuity arrangements identified business critical records. These were saved by firefighters who successfully contained the fire to the area of origin and prevented spread to the surrounding exposure risks. In addition to the rapidly developing fire, the incident created ground and air polluting hazards. The most significant hazard was created by the lithium batteries. They explode when involved in fire and were regularly being ejected from the building, creating a projectile hazard and the risk of fire spread to surrounding buildings. The recommended extinguishing media for the lithium batteries was dry agent. Unfortunately the volume of batteries involved and the collapsed structure which prevented access to apply media whilst remaining a safe distance, excluded this as an option and a combination of a sustained water attack and controlled burn was maintained until the fire was extinguished.
A range of specialist advisers were required to enable the incident and the off site hazards to be managed safely. These included: Environment Agency, Health Protection Agency, local emergency planners, the brigade’s scientific adviser and the CHEMET service. Local TV and radio stations were used to broadcast information to local residents about the hazards from the fire. The incident proved the worth of the brigade’s Incident Support Imaging System, the microdone that provides an aerial view of an incident, which was used to survey the fire scene and check for fire spread. The scene had the characteristics of a battlefield. There were frequent explosions from within the building and the area surrounding the fire was littered with the casings of the lithium batteries which resembled 30 mm cannon shells.
The damping down operations were hampered by a structural collapse and an ongoing hazard from the cold lithium cells which were liable to explode when being moved. The brigade’s Technical Rescue team used their cutting equipment to remove roof panels from the damaged structure which provided access for firefighting jets. The team brought a level of expertise and capability not previously available and assisted in bringing the incident to a conclusion. The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental.
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