This history preserves the anonymized wording and earlier written responses in the imported project records. Earlier responses may describe a previous design or contain wording now under review. Use the linked consolidated question for the current response status.
A source record can contain several questions. These records are not a count of individual submissions or people. Original messages and dates are still being reconciled; this history does not establish that every project submission has been captured.
Showing 3 of 211 source records
Community Public Forum · September 30, 2026Would firefighters just let it burn?
Fire experts advise against spraying water on a burning battery unit. The response being planned is defensive: keep people back, protect the surroundings, and monitor the air while the unit burns out. It is not "doing nothing." Firefighters would work to keep the fire from reaching anything else, and the test reports show why a unit can be left to burn out. In the most extreme test on the Megapack 2 and 2XL, the fire stayed in one cabinet. Water is still used. It can cool equipment next to the burning unit, and a water spray can help knock down smoke from the plume. It is kept off the burning unit itself, because water that touches it can pick up contaminants. Any firefighting water used is captured on site.
How the issues were handled
A written response is recorded. Sending an individual reply, considering feedback, and making a design change require separate evidence.
Would firefighters just let it burn? Individual reply: not confirmed. Consideration: not recorded. Design change: not confirmed.
Website and email · August 4, 2026Would the emergency-response strategy involve allowing a battery unit to burn? If so, what volume of water might be used, and where would the runoff go?
Earlier written draft (answers as of October 7, 2026)
Yes. Standard practice for battery fires is a defensive response: disconnect the unit electrically, protect the surrounding area, monitor the air, and allow a damaged unit to burn out its stored energy rather than send personnel in to fight it directly. This approach follows industry and fire-service guidance developed after firefighter injuries at a battery facility in Arizona in 2019. Water is still used to cool nearby equipment and protect adjacent units, which is why the site's containment is engineered for it. The water supply approach, in a town without comprehensive public water, is being developed with the Fire Chief, including equipment suited to how the Charlton Fire Department responds. Water volumes and runoff routing will come from that plan and the site engineering, both of which will be public.
How the issues were handled
A written response is recorded. Sending an individual reply, considering feedback, and making a design change require separate evidence.
Would firefighters just let it burn? Individual reply: not confirmed. Consideration: not recorded. Design change: not confirmed.
Website and email · Submission date not confirmedWould firefighters just let it burn?
Earlier written draft (answers as of October 7, 2026)
Fire experts advise against spraying water on a burning battery unit. The response being planned is defensive: keep people back, protect the surroundings, and monitor the air while the unit burns out. It is not "doing nothing." Firefighters would work to keep the fire from reaching anything else, and the test reports show why a unit can be left to burn out. In the most extreme test on the Megapack 2 and 2XL, the fire stayed in one cabinet.
Water is still used. It can cool equipment next to the burning unit, and a water spray can help knock down smoke from the plume. It is kept off the burning unit itself, because water that touches it can pick up contaminants. Any firefighting water used is captured on site.
How the issues were handled
A written response is recorded. Sending an individual reply, considering feedback, and making a design change require separate evidence.
Would firefighters just let it burn? Individual reply: not confirmed. Consideration: not recorded. Design change: not confirmed.
