Evacuations lifted for battery storage fire in Escondido (original) (raw)

San Diego Gas & Electric and the Escondido Fire Department lifted evacuation orders Saturday after a fire at a lithium-ion battery storage facility started earlier this week.

The blaze, which erupted shortly before 12:10 p.m. Thursday at the facility on Enterprise Street near Commercial Street, prompted classes to be canceled at some nearby Escondido schools. Roughly 500 businesses in the area — bound by Auto Park Way, Enterprise Street, West Mission Road and Alpine Way — were evacuated. Farther to the east, businesses and residents were told to shelter in place.

The fire was limited to one of 24 storage containers, about the size of a trailer, on the property, fire officials said. Due to the complexity of battery fires, crews decided it was safest to let the fire burn itself out while protecting the containers around it.

The fire has remained out and cold since 1 a.m. Friday, according to a statement posted on the city of Escondido’s website.

Escondido Fire Division Chief Tyler Batson said crews eventually turned off hose streams that had been on all night cooling adjacent containers, and temperature readings suggested the fire did not spread, he said.

Technicians were also able to suit up and take atmospheric readings within 5 feet of the burned trailer and found no abnormal readings indicating alarming levels of toxic fumes, Batson said. Earlier air-quality monitoring by county, city and SDG&E crews at the burn site and in the evacuation area also did not indicate any health risks for those working in the area, officials said.

Kids at some schools — the Carolyn Gilbert Education Center, the Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences and Rock Springs Elementary — were kept home Friday “out of an abundance of caution,” the Escondido Union School District announced on its website.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Originally Published: September 6, 2024 at 12:09 p.m.