The San Diego Lithium Ion Fire That Won’t Go Out
A Lithium Ion factory in downtown San Diego went ablaze last week, causing an evacuation warning for businesses and homes in the area and the nearby state prison.
On May 15th, the Gateway Energy Storage Facility in Otay Mesa erupted into flames. It took firefighters 24 hours to “extinguish” the blaze. Only it wasn’t extinguished. It’s still on fire more than a week later and might continue for weeks. The fire has re-ignited for eight days so far and is not nearly extinguishing.
It’s not easy to put out, and it spews dangerous gases into the air. Gov. Gavin Newsom okays building them near homes, businesses, and schools.
But it will save the planet.
Fox 5 News“When we arrived on scene, there was light smoke,” Captain Mike Cornette with Cal Fire told FOX 5/KUSI on Thursday.That wasn’t the end of it. The fire continued to smolder. After four days, the Union Tribune posted an article.
Businesses in the surrounding area were put on standby for evacuation while firefighters maintained a 600-foot safety barrier due to dangerous levels of hydrogen. A shelter in place order was also issued to Donovan State Prison, located about half a mile from the storage facility.
“We went into defensive action. We knew this was a battery storage facility. There’s some toxic gases and high heat that are attributed to that, so we called in extra support with the hazmat unit and the bomb squad to give us the extra tools,” Cornette explained.
The firefighters couldn’t enter the building for nearly 24 hours, so they used a special device to pump water into it. The property is being monitored for dangerous gases.
The San Diego Union TribuneThe long-smoldering battery plant fire in Otay Mesa neared the four-day mark Sunday with no indication that full containment was imminent.
Cal Fire Capt. Brent Pascua said mid-morning that the situation continued roughly as it was Saturday night, with 40 firefighters and five engines assigned.
“We still have light, wispy smoke coming from the fire,” Pascua said. “Our goal is to continue to keep it contained to the building it started in.”...
