11:17 am, August 2, 2021
A huge fire at Tesla’s ‘Big Battery’ in Australia has finally been brought under control after burning for more than three days.
The Victoria-based facility – one of Tesla’s biggest utility-scale batteries – set alight on Friday when one of the megapacks caught fire.
Authorities rushed to the £50m development but were unable to control the flames over the weekend.
Firefighters finally extinguished the the blaze this morning (Monday) and are now launching an investigation into what caused the fire, the Australian Associated Press reports.
Ian Beswicke from the Country Fire Authority, said: ‘This is the first mega pack fire that’s ever happened in the world, is our understanding.
‘They are difficult to fight because you can’t put water on the mega packs. All that does is extend the length of time that the fire burns for.
‘The recommended process is you cool everything around it so the fire can’t spread and you let it burn out.’
A Victorian government spokeswoman promised a ‘full and comprehensive investigation’.
They added: ‘This will span investigations into the basis of the fire, how it started and to ensure the site is safe as a workplace.
Nobody is believed to have been injured in the flames and electricity supply was not affected.
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