On Thursday, September 5, at 12:09 p.m., a fire alarm was reported at SDG&E’s battery storage facility in Escondido. The Escondido Fire Department, Escondido Police Department, Public Works, and safety and environmental crews from SDG&E responded. A fire was confirmed, and the location of the fire was quickly identified in one of the 24 battery storage containers at the site.
The fire was contained to just one storage container. There were no injuries. The fire has remained out and cold since 1 a.m. on Friday, September 6. Close temperature measurements of the unit and the adjacent structures all reflect normal ambient temperatures with no evidence of fire. Water sampling occurred while flowing water was actively cooling adjacent containers. All water samples taken were deemed safe.
The Escondido Fire Department, the Escondido Police Department, the San Diego County Hazardous Materials Division, the San Diego County Health Department, and SDG&E have closely monitored the area's air quality since the start of the incident. Atmospheric monitoring has been constant, and the air quality remains safe.
The health and safety of the community and surrounding areas have been the top priority in responding to this incident. The cooperation of the surrounding businesses has been greatly appreciated.
The City of Escondido will lift all evacuation orders by noon today, Saturday, September 7. Those in the affected area who are registered with Alert San Diego and/or Genasys will receive a notification when they are cleared to repopulate the area.
Over the coming weeks, the Escondido Fire Department and SDG&E will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
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