Utility Scale

Officials say there’s no sign of health risks from solar farm battery blaze in northern New York

Officials say there’s no sign of health risks from solar farm battery blaze in northern New York
(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

Local officials said Friday there’s no immediate sign of health or safety risks from a northern New York solar farm battery fire that burned overnight and may persist for some time.

The blaze near the tiny village of Chaumont prompted local authorities to tell people within a mile (1.6 km) of the solar installation to shelter in place for about four hours Thursday. Gov. Kathy Hochul also urged residents Thursday to heed public health officials and avoid exposure to the smoke or any other toxins.

The village government said on its website Friday that air monitoring showed no toxic byproducts and there was no indication of contaminated runoff or groundwater. Firefighters and representatives from various state agencies remained at the solar farm to monitor the blaze. It’s in a rural area about 78 miles (125 km) north of Syracuse and near Lake Ontario and the Canadian border.

“The batteries themself will burn out. It will probably burn for the next five, seven days,” Chaumont Fire Chief William Lipczynski told WWNY-TV. “It will be at a safe level where we don’t have to worry about a big fire again.”

A mechanical equipment malfunction sparked the fire Thursday afternoon, the Chaumont government said.

Hochul, a Democrat, said Friday she assigned several state agencies to look into fires and safety standards at energy storage facilities, noting the Chaumont-area blaze and a couple of others elsewhere in the state this summer.

While saying that such fires are uncommon, Hochul said the state group would “identify best practices, address potential risks to public safety, and ensure energy storage sites across New York are safe and effective.”

Other battery fires — involving e-bikes, scooters, and other micromobility devices — spurred a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission forum Thursday in Bethesda, Maryland. The discussion followed a series of such blazes, particularly in New York City.