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A fire erupted at a Maddington workshop, driven by batteries, leading to the co-owner’s hospitalization and a warning for local residents to remain indoors.
The blaze engulfed the Li-ion Energy workshop around 1:30 p.m., sending dense, toxic smoke into the sky and triggering a hazardous materials alert for parts of Perth.
Founder Justin Manton explained, “We had numerous lithium batteries ready for export, but we don’t believe they started the fire.”
He added, “The fire ignited the crates surrounding the batteries, and it spread very quickly.”
The owners were present when the fire broke out in an adjacent workspace.
“[It’s] well over $7 million in lost goods, and then there’s a building,” Manton said.
Burwash Place in Maddington was closed as fire crews got to work.
“We know we’re dealing with approximately 80 tonnes of solid-state batteries,” Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA Superintendent Leigh Bishop said.
Just last year the owners spoke to 9News warning about the dangers of battery fires, never imagining they’d be dealing with one themselves on this devastating scale.
“Yeah it’s pretty shocking, one of the things we just try to avoid the most is fires and to have it happen here is disappointing, and a bit tragic,” Manton said.
Late this afternoon crews appeared to get the upper hand but were set to remain on scene into the night.Â
The collapsed roof and walls of a workshop, along with twisted and smoking metal were signs of the damage.
“It’ll be a hard one, it’ll be pretty hard to overcome this,” Manton said.
Nearby residents were told to stay inside because of the hazardous smoke.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
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