Battery fire in container storing off-grid energy at Brantford plant

Brantford firefighters are still monitoring the scene of a fire in an “energy storage unit” on Sinclair Boulevard that began Thursday morning.

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The fire – on the property of the large Aspire Bakeries – is in a 40-foot container operated by Aypa Power, which specializes in facilities that can store off-grid energy at dozens of sites across North America.

Brantford Fire was called out at about 9:30 am Thursday, as soon as the fire began.

While there’s no details on how it started, Fire Chief Todd Binkley said Friday the protocol for dealing with such a battery fire is to let it burn out while monitoring both water run-off and air quality.

“The fire is limited to one container and we’re remaining on the scene to make sure the temperatures come down and ensure the safety of other facilities on the property,” said Binkley.

He added that the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating the fire and both the Ministry of the Environment and Brantford Environment have been on-scene, monitoring the situation.

Aspire Bakeries spokesperson Kathy Lenkov said Friday the fire isn’t affecting production at the bakery.

The bakery at 115 Sinclair Blvd. was previously known as Maidstone or Aryzta. It became Aspire Bakeries in 2021.

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