Firefighters Battle Massive Battery Storage Blaze in Peoria
A massive fire broke out late Wednesday afternoon at a large battery storage facility on the border of Glendale and Peoria, drawing an urgent response from multiple fire departments. Crews from Glendale, Peoria, and Phoenix all rushed to the site near 73rd Avenue and Northern Avenue after flames were reported coming from containers that stored high-capacity batteries.
According to officials, the fire started around 4 to 5 p.m. at the Bolster Substation, a Salt River Project (SRP) site housing a 25-megawatt battery system. This system sits right next to the Agua Fria Generating Station, an important part of the Valley’s power grid. Fortunately, SRP confirmed that the battery system had already been taken offline, and no power outages were triggered by the blaze.
Eyewitnesses described flames shooting from the storage units, and Northern Avenue was shut down near 75th Avenue for hours as firefighters worked to contain the situation. Their immediate priority was to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby equipment or structures, while also monitoring air quality in the area.
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Brady Casson with Peoria Fire-Medical Department emphasized that the top goals were safety, protection of property, and ensuring the fire did not extend beyond its current footprint. Even though the scene was intense, there was some relief—no injuries have been reported.
As of late Wednesday night, fire crews remained on the scene. The Peoria Fire Department noted that firefighters were scheduled to meet with SRP representatives to assess whether the situation could be downgraded from an active firefight to a fire watch status. That decision would depend on whether it was deemed safe to scale back operations.
What sparked the fire has not yet been determined, and investigators are still working to learn what type of batteries were involved. Incidents like this are particularly complex, as lithium-based energy storage systems can burn hotter and longer than traditional materials, requiring specialized strategies from firefighters.
The quick response from first responders and the coordinated effort across city departments has been credited with preventing what could have been a far more destructive incident. While the sight of the flames and heavy smoke was alarming to those in the area, SRP reassured the public that the fire had no impact on electricity service across the Valley.
For now, the cause remains a mystery, and officials are urging patience as investigators carefully sort through the details. It was a reminder of the challenges that come with new energy technologies and how essential it is for emergency teams to be prepared for large-scale incidents like this one.
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