Fire breaks out in lithium battery storage area at CareCo mobility equipment warehouse
A fire which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning at the main distribution centre and warehouse for mobility equipment retailer CareCo in Essex has been established as having started in an area storing used lithium batteries.
Firefighters from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service were called to the “completely smoke-logged” building in Great Notley, near Braintree, at 1.15am on Sunday with the fire taking over 12 hours and eight fire crews to extinguish.
After drones and thermal imaging camera were used to assess the incident and pinpoint the crucial areas in the building Essex County Fire and Rescue Service established that the fire had started in an area storing used lithium batteries.
Howard Midwood, Incident Commander at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service commented: “Throughout the night we had somewhere between 40-50 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackling the fire inside the building and we’ve also been using an aerial ladder platform to pour water from above.
“Our firefighters have worked tirelessly throughout the incident and have shown skill and dedication in very challenging conditions. Thanks also to our partners, the Salvation Army and the site staff.
“Because lithium batteries are involved, extinguishing the fire is a longer process than usual.”
William Harrison, Founder and Managing Director of CareCo, commented in a statement: “Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the incident. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service who responded to the situation so quickly.
“Unfortunately, it is clear there will be some delays to order dispatches and returns, as well as to other services we provide. We’re doing everything we can to minimise this disruption.”
With the fire now under control firefighters today remained on the scene to dampen down the area. A fire investigation has revealed that the cause of the fire was “accidental”.
