A three-foot-tall, three-foot-wide object described by firefighters as a “lithium battery pack” ignited in a garage near 21st and Shotwell streets at around 9:30 p.m. Monday, spewing toxic fumes around the neighborhood.
SFFD Battalion Chief Anita Paratley was just getting into her car to leave the scene around 9:45, as the fire had been contained with minimal damage to homes. She did not mention any injuries.
Calls to SFFD to confirm there were no injuries were not immediately returned.
She said firefighters put out the battery fire, located in a garage on the 700 block of Shotwell Street, using a CO2 extinguisher to “freeze it.” It’s unclear how the battery caught fire.
Firefighters located closer to the smoldering battery pack said they had told everyone in the vicinity to go inside because the fumes were dangerous.
Paratley said they were operating fans to clear the area of smoke. There was, indeed, no wind to be found.
“How many nights are this still in San Francisco?” she queried.
FTR, there wasn’t any fire per se. But definitely thermal runaway was going on.
Bad pack design. I can tell from the picture that the cells are LFP which should NEVER be mounted on side yet are mounted that way here. This dries out the liquid electrolyte and leaves the pack vulnerable to overheating. Also, looks dirty and dusty – a sense a burningman project gone awry.