Lithium Ion Battery Storage; The Gdansk Fire

A massive fire broke out in Gdańsk, Poland, in a historically protected building storing over 1,300 e-bikes and 1,000 batteries. While early reports suggest the batteries may not have been the initial cause, the significant “fire load” of these materials undeniably intensified the fire.

It is reported that a tenant in the building, was leasing space from the building Owner, to store e bikes as part of a “bike sharing” program. It is beleived this is where the fire started. Thankfully, no injuries or missing persons have been reported. However, the community faced serious impacts, including toxic smoke, which prompted local officials to issue “defend in place” warnings, followed by air quality warnings within a 1km radius. This was also communicated to community members via emergency "Text Alerts" from Emergency Management officials.

Over 150 firefighters responded to this complex fire. The incident raises important questions about permitting high fire-load commodities in certain spaces, the importanceof community preparedness when it comes to "Defending In Place", and highlights the urgent need for proper safety measures in lithium-ion battery storage. There is much to learn from here - the facts are still being confirmed, but the impacts to the community are clear. To the first responders - Thank you for your service.

Jason Reid recently had the privilege of collaborating with Sam Shalabi - both with National Life Safety Group, on an article addressing this critical issue. We are pleased to share it below, from a link to “Firefighting in Canada” Magazine. https://lnkd.in/g7D9QTMC