Arizona firefighters rushed to hospitals after explosion at battery facility
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Peoria Fire-Medical Department truck. Four firefighters from the city of Peoria were injured in an explosion at a facility used to store industrial grade lithium batteries. Four additional firefighters from a separate agency were also taken to the hospital for lesser injuries. (Peoria Fire-Medical Department/Facebook)
Eight firefighters, from two separate agencies, were hospitalized Friday after an explosion at an Arizona Public Service facility in Surprise, where utility-sized lithium batteries used in the storage and distribution of solar energy are housed.
FDNY SPIRIT RUN HONORS FIREFIGHTERS WHO BATTLED NOTRE DAME FIRE
Four firefighters from the Peoria Fire-Medical Department were seriously injured. One firefighter was in critical condition after being knocked unconscious. Two others were in serious condition, Capt. Ken Wier told FOX 10 of Phoenix.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three of the most seriously hurt firefighters were airlifted to Maricopa County Medical Center's burn unit in Phoenix while the fourth was transported to a West Valley hospital, Michael Selmer, a spokesman for the department, told AZCentral.com.
Four additional firefighters from the city of Surprise were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Battalion Chief Julie Moore of the Surprise Fire Department told AZCentral.
Fire teams from Peoria and Surprise both responded to APS McMicken Energy Storage facility around 6 p.m. after someone passing by spotted spoke, Moore said. Firefighters began inspecting a utility-size lithium battery for hazardous chemical levels. An explosion occurred as a Peoria Fire hazmat team attempted to enter the facility.
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APS spokesman Alan Bunnell said the facility will cooperate with a full investigation into the cause of the explosion. He said firefighters were called to the site to investigate a possible equipment failure. Meanwhile, firefighters from various agencies in Phoenix gathered outside the Maricopa Medical Center on Friday evening to rally behind their fellow first-responders, AZCentral reported.