WALLINGFORD, CT — Two workers were taken to the hospital Monday, Oct. 12, after an electric-vehicle battery pack caught fire inside the garage of a car dealership on South Colony Road, the Wallingford Fire Department said in a news release. A day earlier, a fire on Mansion Road forced five adults from their homes, and the American Red Cross is helping them, Patch reported.
Two Workers Hurt in the Dealership Fire
Firefighters were called at about 11:45 a.m. and arrived to heavy smoke and a battery pack in thermal runaway, the department said. Employees had been working on the large battery, which sat on a dolly, FOX61 reported. The station described thermal runaway as a process in which a battery's temperature climbs out of control, which can start a fire and release hazardous vapors.
Crews put out the fire inside the building and pulled the battery pack out to keep the fire from spreading. One worker was taken to the hospital with burns from the battery fire and a second for smoke inhalation, according to the release. Everyone at the dealership was evacuated because of the vapors, and no firefighters were hurt, FOX61 reported.
Battalion Chief Robert Colangelo was in command, with four Wallingford engines, a truck company and an engine from Meriden on the scene, the department said. Colangelo told FOX61 that firefighters kept water on the battery so it would not reignite.
Hazmat Crews and Decontamination
Because the chemicals in these battery packs are hazardous, the department said, crews had to work carefully and arrange a full decontamination for everyone who responded. Several of the department's hazmat technicians handled that part of the operation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Wallingford police, the town's Electric Division, the Meriden Fire Department, Eversource, DEEP and the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assisted at the scene. North Haven firefighters covered other emergency calls during the incident, according to the release.
Crews tested the air inside to decide when the dealership could open again, FOX61 reported. The station said a contractor would set the battery in a dumpster filled with sand, then move it to a secure spot away from buildings. Colangelo said Porsche technicians could inspect the battery later to find out what went wrong, and FOX61 reported that the cause was still under investigation.