"Should not have been operational": Unauthorized system was involved in recent BESS fire according to officials
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Local officials say a December 2025 fire at a lithium‑ion battery storage facility in the Village of Warwick in upstate New York, involved an “unauthorized” and non‑compliant system that should not have been operating, intensifying scrutiny of the developer og the facility/.
Illustration Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons License
DISCLAIMER: The photo above is for generic illustrational purposes only. It does not show the BESS system mentioned in the article. (The photo has been altered to remove brand name.)
This is a battery energy storage station, consisting of two energy storage containers, with a total capacity of 6.24 mwh and an output power of 5 mwh.
Date: 8 June 2024, 09:20
Source: Rheineck - Large Battery Storage Device
Author: Kecko from Eastern Switzerland
The December 19 fire started inside a single battery container at the company’s Church Street Battery Storage Facility, triggering an alarm and an emergency response plan, according to the Village of Warwick. No injuries were reported, and the fire remained confined to one unit.
According to Energy Storage News HazMat teams conducted continuous air monitoring, detecting hydrogen cyanide at 0.5 parts per million near the site — roughly half the federal safety limit — while downwind monitors recorded zero readings.
Mayor Michael Newhard said the system had been activated and fully charged without notifying the village and that Convergent did not hold a required Certificate of Compliance at the time of the fire, meaning the facility “should not have been operational”.
Officials say water infiltration may have caused the fire, echoing previous failures at two Convergent‑operated sites in 2023, when heavy rain led to a fire. Severe weather before the December fire may also have contributed, according to the mayor’s office.
According to the Warwick Advertiser, the village will be requiring the BESS' owner to bear all costs associated with cleanup, testing, engineering, and police services.
According to Westchester News and other sources, this is the third BESS fire in a two year period in Warwick.
Further Reading:
https://www.energy-storage.news/battery-storage-fire-in-upstate-new-york-involv…?