Highway 47 reopens after battery-laden trailer that crashed and caught fire is moved off road

[e-beach]

I guess this kind of thing is going to happen more often, unless a non-flammable battery finds it's way into standard industry use.....​

A big rig containing lithium ion batteries overturned in San Pedro on Thursday afternoon, sparking a fire that reportedly led at least one battery to explode.

(KTLA)

By Summer Lin
and Clara Harter
Sept. 27, 2024 Updated 10:23 PM PT

A trailer containing lithium ion batteries was moved off Highway 47 in San Pedro on Friday, allowing officials to lift road closures in the area.
The hazardous fire sparked after a big rig overturned around noon on Thursday at 940 N. Seaside Ave., causing at least one battery to explode and prompting temporary closures of portions of Highway 47, including the Vincent Thomas bridge, authorities said.
Nicholas Prange, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the trailer was moved Friday to a lot on Terminal Island “where it can continue to off-gas or burn, if it needs to, and be less of an impact to traffic and Port of Los Angeles operations.”

“Obviously, that’s a big economic impact that we were trying to consider,” he added.

Officials were then able to reopen the roads around 9 p.m., he said.
The cause of the crash is yet to be determined......snip

 

[scianiac]

Looks pretty tame compared to if that was a gasoline tanker.

Also feels like a lot of the problems are caused by just a lack of firefighting techniques and technologies for battery fires. We have centuries of learning how to put of flammable liquid fires but most fire departments have almost no experience and little training in large battery fires.

While more stable battery chemistries are needed and are coming I also wonder how battery design can improve to just be less likely to short when impacted. Particularly on the pack level with things like improved mounting and potting. Still kinda feels like the actual construction of batteries still can be improved greatly.

 

[Chalo]

Looks pretty tame compared to if that was a gasoline tanker.

There have been a couple of those recently that destroyed the road bed of an interstate highway.

Battery fires are nothing compared to the petroleum hazards we already take for granted.