Fire breaks out in Escondido SDG&E battery storage facility

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Fire crews are battling a fire at a San Diego Gas and Electric-operated battery storage facility in Escondido that broke out Thursday afternoon.

According to Escondido Fire Division Chief Tyler Batson, crews were first notified of the fire at 12:09 p.m. as a ringing alarm and a smoke check in the battery bank area of the facility, located at 571 Enterprise St.

Upon arrival, fire crews noticed smoke was seen coming from one of the battery storage trailers. Technicians on board confirmed a small fire was burning in one of the lithium-ion battery rank storage, Batson added.

A 1st alarm commercial fire response was called, with SDG&E’s contracted fire brigade, county emergency response and Escondido hazmat crews responding to the scene alongside Escondido Fire Department personnel.

As of 4 p.m., the fire remains active and has not been extinguished. According to Batson, experts said water cannot be put on the fire due to the involved chemicals, so their intervention is focusing on the area surrounding it.

“Fire suppression efforts are now being made to protect the neighboring battery storage units to make sure that they don’t light on fire as well,” Batson said. “The plan is really let what’s on fire burn and we’ll safely protect the areas around it to keep it from spreading.”

A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for the area around the facility, which is made up of largely commercial and industrial buildings, as a safety precaution.

The order applies to business located east of Alpine Street, south of Mission Road, west of Enterprise Street and north of Auto Park Way, the city of Escondido said in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon.

A map of the evacuation order boundaries can be found below.

Some homes are located near the fire, although it is not believed to be an immediate threat to residents at this time, Batson said.

On Thursday evening, the fire prompted the Escondido Union School District to announce the closures of Carolyn Gilbert Education Center, the Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences and Rock Springs Elementary schools for Friday.

No additional details were immediately available, including what caused the battery storage facility to erupt in flames.

According to Batson, crews will remain on scene until the flames subside.

“What I’ve been told by SDG&E is that, best case, this fire burns itself out in about 12 hours, worst case, about 48 hours,” Batson said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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