Bautzen battery storage fire continues, firefighters switch tactics
Firefighting efforts at a large battery storage facility in Bautzen are ongoing for a third day. On Tuesday evening, emergency services changed their strategy to combat the fire from the inside.
Firefighting operations at a large battery storage facility in Bautzen continue, with the blaze entering its third day. The fire, which started on Tuesday afternoon, has not yet been extinguished, and city officials indicate that an end to the operation is not foreseeable due to ongoing chemical processes.
On Tuesday evening, the strategy shifted from external cooling to actively fighting the fire from within the affected containers. This change involved breaching the containers and deploying a specialized vehicle from Dresden to apply a large volume of water. Bautzen's mayor, Karsten Vogt (CDU), told MDR SACHSEN that this method aims to extinguish the fire by introducing a significant amount of water at once.
The new approach was decided upon after consultation with a network of fire departments across Germany. Previously, direct intervention was avoided, with the focus on intensive cooling using up to 5,000 liters of water per minute to manage internal thermal processes and prevent fire spread. Stephan Bergner, deputy spokesperson for the Bautzen professional fire brigade, explained to MDR SACHSEN that active firefighting could introduce more oxygen and risk an uncontrolled combustion.
Bergner noted that there is very little experience in Germany with fires in large energy storage systems, making the operation particularly challenging. Firefighters are using protective suits due to the potential release of toxic gases. Experts currently assess no immediate explosion risk at the site. Due to the high demand for water, access to the Spree river was established on Wednesday to supplement water supply.