A man was injured when a fire broke out in an electric vehicle battery storage room at a showroom on Jalan Jelutong, George Town, on 11 October. The Penang Fire and Rescue Department received the emergency call at 3.42pm, sent a fire engine from the Jalan Perak station and had the fire fully extinguished by 4.10pm, The Star reported.
Firefighters reached the scene at 3.46pm and found the storage room, on the second floor of the building, alight. The fire was brought under control at 4pm, Kwong Wah said, after which the crew cooled the area and cleared the site.
Department assistant director of operations John Sagun Francis said Eugene Chow Hao Jie, 31, was injured while trying to leave the facility. He received first treatment from the department’s Emergency Medical Rescue Services team before being taken to Penang Hospital for further treatment.
The fire involved a battery storage room measuring about 10 sq ft, the department said. Fire crews worked through the RECEO approach, which stands for rescue, expose, confine, extinguish and overhaul, using two hoses and two nozzles on the flames with a reel line in support.
Fourteen personnel from the Jalan Perak, Lebuh Pantai and Paya Terubong fire stations took part in the operation, with help from the Mount Erskine and Perak Lane volunteer fire brigades and the police.
After the flames were out, firefighters inspected the building and carried out overhaul work to make sure no hazards were left. The operation ended at 5.57pm and the case was handed to the fire investigation team to establish the cause.
Overhaul is the part of a battery fire that does not end when the visible flames stop. Damaged cells keep heating after the fire looks out, so crews open the space up, cool hot spots and watch the area before they leave. The department said its inspection was carried out precisely to confirm that nothing dangerous remained at the scene.
The cause has not been established. Investigators from the fire investigation unit are examining the scene, and no finding on how the fire started has been released. The department issued its statement on Sunday evening, a few hours after the operation closed.
Lithium-ion batteries behave differently from an ordinary fire. A cell that has been damaged can go on heating from the inside long after the surface feels cold, and flames can start again hours later. That is why crews stay on site, pull the storage area apart and keep pouring water through it before they leave, instead of closing the job when the flames disappear.
The department reported one injured person from the premises, and said the area was inspected to confirm that no hazards remained before the teams left.
