Fire Risk if Internal Separator of Battery is Damaged
A fire broke out at an industrial battery warehouse in Jincheon, Chungbuk, resulting in the death of the company representative.
According to Yonhap News on the 22nd, at around 8:35 a.m. that day, a fire occurred at a battery wholesale warehouse in Jincheon Agricultural and Industrial Complex, Jincheon-eup, where the company representative, Mr. A, in his 40s, died at the scene.
The fire completely destroyed one wholesale warehouse building (286.7㎥, approximately 86 pyeong), and 2,000 batteries inside were burned. Fire authorities deployed 41 personnel and 24 pieces of equipment and reportedly extinguished the fire after about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Fire authorities believe the fire started when Mr. A dropped a battery on the floor while moving batteries with a forklift.
When the fire broke out in the warehouse, Mr. A is presumed to have died due to an explosion while trying to move the batteries outside. Fire authorities plan to conduct further investigations into the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
The warehouse was known to store lithium-ion batteries for electric scooters. Lithium-ion batteries consist of an electrolyte that serves as a pathway for lithium ions, a cathode and an anode, and a separator that blocks direct contact between the cathode and anode. If the separator is damaged and the cathode and anode come into direct contact, there is a risk of explosion.
Amid a series of secondary battery fire accidents recently, public anxiety is growing. On the 1st of this month, a fire broke out in a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, damaging or scorching about 140 vehicles.
Since then, some automakers such as Hyundai, Kia, and BMW have proactively disclosed their battery manufacturers, and on the afternoon of the 9th, Seoul City began considering policies such as limiting electric vehicle charging rates to 90% in underground parking lots of multi-family housing, taking measures to address the issue.
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