A Local Incident with Broader Implications for Battery Storage Safety
Late on the evening of December 19, 2025, a fire occurred at the Church Street Battery Storage Facility in Warwick, New York, operated by Convergent Energy & Power. While no injuries were reported and the fire was confined to a single container, the incident remained active into the following day and prompted a multi-agency response, air quality monitoring, and renewed scrutiny of battery energy storage system (BESS) safety in the community.
For Warwick residents and local leaders, the fire carried added weight. The town has experienced multiple battery storage incidents in recent years, and each new event raises difficult questions about risk, emergency response, and whether existing BESS designs are suitable for locations near homes, schools, and small businesses.
This article provides a comprehensive, fact-based overview of what happened at the Church Street site, how the response unfolded, and why incidents like this continue to shape the national conversation around BESS fire safety. It also briefly examines how next-generation technologies such as immersion cooling and toxic gas mitigation can materially change the risk profile of energy storage systems going forward.
Timeline of the Church Street Incident
Alarm and Initial Response
At approximately 10:15 pm on Friday, December 19, an alarm was triggered at the Church Street Battery Storage Facility. According to statements released by the operator and local authorities, the alarm activated the site’s emergency response protocols, and first responders were dispatched to the location shortly thereafter.
The fire was identified as localized within a single battery container. There was no indication at the time that adjacent containers had ignited, and no injuries were reported.
Establishing Control and Safety Perimeter
Emergency services responded to the scene, including local fire and police departments, Orange County Emergency Services, and Orange County Hazardous Materials teams. A safety perimeter was established around the site as responders assessed conditions and began monitoring for potential hazards.
As is common in lithium-ion BESS incidents, responders did not immediately attempt interior firefighting operations. Instead, the focus was on containment, situational awareness, and risk reduction while monitoring the behavior of the affected container.
Air Quality Monitoring and Public Safety
From the outset of the event, Orange County HazMat teams conducted continuous air quality monitoring at the site and at downwind locations. According to official updates, readings did not reach alarm thresholds during the monitoring period, and authorities stated there was no immediate danger to the surrounding public.
Despite these readings, monitoring continued as a precaution due to the potential for toxic or flammable gas release during battery failure events. The presence of HazMat teams underscored the reality that even when flames are contained, lithium-ion battery incidents can involve complex chemical risks that persist beyond the initial ignition.
System Shutdown and Ongoing Status
The Church Street facility is monitored around the clock using automated sensors alongside human-supervised cameras and controls. The operator confirmed that when alarms triggered, the system automatically shut down as designed. A manual emergency stop was also activated by an operator during the incident.
As of late Saturday, December 20, the event was still considered active. The system was idled, and officials indicated that it was too early to determine the cause of the fire until the site could be safely accessed and evaluated.
Suspected Causes and the Limits of Early Conclusions
At the time of public updates, no official cause had been confirmed. The operator cautioned against speculation, noting that investigations require safe access to the affected equipment, inspection of components, and coordination with authorities.
During a video briefing on December 20, local leadership indicated that water infiltration was believed to be a possible factor, though this had not been formally determined. That suspicion did not arise in a vacuum.
New Information Raises Compliance and Operational Questions
Subsequent reporting and statements from village officials revealed that the Church Street battery storage system should not have been operational at the time of the fire. Officials identified several issues that materially changed how the incident was understood:
- Lack of required authorization: The facility did not have a Certificate of Compliance and had not received final municipal approval to operate.
- Unauthorized system energization: Batteries were reportedly energized and fully charged without formal notification or authorization from the village.
- Limited municipal verification: Because the system was operating without approval, local authorities were unable to fully verify readiness, safety controls, and emergency coordination prior to the incident.
- Measured toxic gas presence: Air monitoring conducted by Orange County Hazardous Materials teams detected hydrogen cyanide at approximately 0.5 ppm near the site, roughly 50% of the federal safety threshold. Downwind monitors recorded zero readings, and officials stated there was no immediate danger to the public.
- Enforcement and cost recovery actions: Village officials indicated they will pursue cost recovery and enforcement measures related to emergency response, environmental testing, and third-party engineering reviews.
These findings reinforce how operational authorization, oversight, and enforcement play a critical role in BESS safety.
Why Warwick Views BESS Fires Through a Different Lens
In June 2023, a major fire occurred at a Convergent-operated battery energy storage system located on Warwick school district property, referenced in reporting by nearby locations including Church Street and County Route 1A. Two battery storage units burned, prompting evacuations and a prolonged emergency response.
Following an investigation involving outside experts, Convergent reported that the fire was traced to a manufacturing defect in Powin-branded Centipede units that allowed water to infiltrate the system and trigger an electrical fire. Although subsequent air monitoring indicated toxin levels below harmful thresholds, the incident intensified community concern and contributed to increased regulatory scrutiny at the state level.
Against this backdrop, the December 2025 Church Street incident reignited long-standing questions among residents and local officials. Even when a fire is contained to a single container and no injuries occur, extended response timelines, safety perimeters, and continuous air monitoring leave a lasting impression on communities living nearby.
For municipal leaders, including Warwick’s mayor, the issue is no longer limited to how a single incident is managed. It has become a broader question of whether existing BESS architectures are appropriate for dense or sensitive locations, and what changes are necessary to restore public confidence in energy storage as a safe and reliable part of the local energy landscape.
Why BESS Fires are Managed Differently than Conventional Fires
Lithium-ion battery fires behave fundamentally differently from structural or fuel-based fires. Once thermal runaway begins inside a battery cell, the reaction can generate intense heat, flammable gases, and oxygen, sustaining the event even when external flames appear controlled.
In containerized BESS designs, this behavior often leads to response strategies that prioritize:
- Isolation of the affected enclosure
- Standoff distances for responders
- Continuous environmental monitoring
- Allowing the event to progress to a safe endpoint rather than forcing rapid extinguishment
This approach reduces immediate risk to firefighters but can extend the duration of an incident and heighten public concern. The Church Street event followed this familiar pattern, reinforcing why communities increasingly ask whether prevention-focused designs are available.
How Immersion Cooling Changes the Fire Risk Equation
While the Warwick incident involved a conventional containerized BESS, it highlights the limitations of systems that rely primarily on air-based thermal management.
Immersion cooling represents a fundamentally different approach. In an immersion-cooled BESS, battery cells and modules are submerged in a dielectric fluid with a high fire-point that efficiently absorbs and dissipates heat. By maintaining uniform temperatures at the cell level, immersion cooling reduces hot spots, slows degradation, and significantly lowers the likelihood that a localized fault escalates into thermal runaway.
Immersion-cooled systems still use HVAC to manage enclosure conditions and support overall system performance. The difference is that the primary thermal control and fire-risk mitigation occur directly where heat is generated, rather than relying on airflow around energized components.
By preventing ignition conditions from developing in the first place, immersion cooling shifts BESS safety from reactive response to proactive prevention. That shift directly addresses the prolonged “active event” scenarios that challenge first responders and unsettle nearby communities.
Addressing Toxic Gas Risk with HazGuard
Thermal events in lithium-ion batteries can release hazardous gases even when fires are contained, and air monitoring shows readings below alarm thresholds. This reality explains why HazMat teams are routinely deployed and why communities remain uneasy during extended incidents.
EticaAG’s HazGuard system is designed to complement immersion cooling by actively mitigating toxic gas emissions inside the enclosure. Rather than relying solely on detection and perimeter monitoring, HazGuard neutralizes harmful gases before they can accumulate or escape, reducing exposure risk for first responders and surrounding areas.
In incidents like the Church Street fire, where air quality monitoring became a central element of public reassurance, gas mitigation technologies represent a meaningful step toward reducing uncertainty and response complexity.
What the Warwick Incident Means for the Future of BESS
The December 2025 fire at the Church Street Battery Storage Facility did not result in injuries or off-site harm. Yet its impact goes beyond immediate outcomes. It reinforced how even well-monitored, code-compliant BESS installations can create prolonged emergencies that test public trust.
For communities questioning whether BESS has a future in their jurisdiction, the answer is increasingly tied to design evolution. Systems that prevent fires by controlling heat at the source, limit gas generation, and reduce the need for extended standoff responses offer a path forward that aligns grid reliability with community safety.
As Warwick evaluates next steps, the broader lesson is clear: the future of energy storage depends not only on capacity and performance, but also on architectures that make incidents like this far less likely to occur in the first place.
