It has been revealed that $1 million worth of damage was done to GM’s Factory Zero electric vehicle factory in Detroit, Michigan, when a fire broke out on December 19 last year.
The automaker says the fire was likely triggered by a forklift puncturing a battery materials container. The blaze prompted a massive response from local authorities with almost 100 firefighters and two dozen fire trucks responding to the scene.
An incident report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request reveals that one firefighter was injured after slipping outside the plant and notes that all responders were exposed to lithium-ion off-gas.
Crain’s Detroit Business reports that local fire crews were at the factory for more than seven hours and that five battery pallets were ablaze near a loading dock when they arrived on the scene. The destroyed batteries are estimated to have cost GM around $1 million, while $300,000 worth of property damage was done in the blaze.
While speaking about the incident, chief of fire prevention for the Detroit Fire Department, Dennis Hunter, said the fire department had to respond to “eight or so” incidents at the plant between the summer and December last year and noted the department is working with GM on an improved response plan.
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“EV batteries, that’s a new hazard that we’re dealing with as a country right now,” he said. “We’re currently working hand in hand with Factory Zero for a better response plan. We are working with them to improve how they handle these EV batteries going into thermal runoff or catching fire. It is a drain on our resources if we have four, eight, or 12 fire apparatuses at their location, depending on the size of the fire, which is why we are working with them to have a better internal protocol for handling these electric vehicle batteries.”
GM spokeswoman Tara Kuhnen says the company calls the local fire department regardless of the severity of incidents and said that not all recent incidents have been related to batteries or fires.
“The safety of our employees is our overriding priority,” she said. “We call the local fire department to ensure we have immediate help with incidents – regardless of severity. Some incidents were minor and quickly contained, while other incidents required assistance from the fire department.”
