Firefighters in Almaty prevented the spread of a fire to a warehouse storing lithium-ion batteries and new electric scooters. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a report of a fire in a warehouse on Vasnetsov Street in the Almaly district was received at the 112 dispatch center. Firefighters arriving at the scene determined that a block of lithium-ion batteries was burning.
The situation was complicated by the fact that the fire could have spread to a neighboring warehouse containing new batteries and about 300 electric scooters.
"Firefighters immediately began extinguishing the source and intensively cooling the batteries, which stopped the spread of the fire. The fire was completely extinguished in less than 30 minutes. No one was injured as a result of the incident," the ministry reported.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 100 lithium-ion batteries and about 300 new electric scooters were saved. In addition, firefighters prevented a possible chain reaction that could have occurred when the batteries ignited.
The ministry reminded that lithium-ion batteries can ignite sequentially during a fire and release toxic combustion products. Their extinguishing requires a special approach and prolonged cooling, as even after the open flame is eliminated, there remains a risk of re-ignition.
The day before, a fire occurred in a complex of car repair boxes in Shymkent. And in Astana, a fire was extinguished at a landfill.