Operations & Training

Rail Cars Carrying Lithium-ion Batteries Burn in Sutter County, CA

Sept. 3, 2024

Sutter County firefighters cut holes in the tops of the train cars and used 40,000 gallons of water.

Two train cars carrying lithium-ion batteries caught fire in Marysville Sunday was not as hazardous as originally thought.

The 72 pounds of the batteries were among the cargo listed on the manifest. .

Sutter County Fire Battalion Chief Richard Epperson told CBS it was a very long night of fighting the fire.

"When the firefighters opened up the door to fight the fire, they saw lithium batteries,"

They initially had to treat it like the boxes were loaded to the brim with the extremely hazardous lithium-ion.

"That ended up not being the case after looking at the manifest," Sutter County Emergency Operations Manager Zachary Hamill said.

"If those would have been Tesla or big batteries like that, they probably would have taken the crane and took out the trees around here to create a barrier and let it burn for a month," Epperson said.

Firefighters cut holes in the top of the train cars, dousing the flames with 40,000 gallons of water to put it out.

Last month, a lithium-ion battery blaze that occurred when a Tesla semi-truck crashed caused big dangers for Sacramento Metro Fire.

"We can't apply water necessarily directly to the batteries to stop them from burning," said Captain Daniel Hoy with Sac Metro Fire.

About the Author

Susan Nicol | News Editor

Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.