France controls two-day fire at lithium battery factory
On February 18, French authorities said firefighters had controlled a fire that broke out at a lithium battery factory two days earlier in the town of Viviez, north of the city of Toulouse.
The fire broke out on February 17 at a warehouse owned by French recycling group SNAM in Viviez. At the time of the fire, there were about 900 tons of lithium batteries in the warehouse. Firefighters arrived at the scene after the fire broke out and it took two days to bring the fire under control. According to authorities, the fire is still smoldering inside the warehouse and a team of five firefighters is still on duty at the scene to prevent the fire from re-igniting.
Local media showed thick smoke covering the Viviez area. However, authorities and rescue workers said there was no risk of air pollution. SNAM has not yet commented on the incident.
Lithium batteries play an important role in electrical devices such as phones and electric cars. However, this type of battery contains flammable materials, so together with the heat inside, lithium batteries can easily catch fire and explode when exposed to high temperatures.