Is Yesterday’s Fire Protection Your Warehouse’s Weakest Link?
People run a warehouse. Lithium-ion batteries keep it moving.
From forklifts shifting tonnes of stock to pallet jacks meeting delivery deadlines, lithium-ion batteries increasingly power the equipment warehouses rely on every day. They charge faster, generally require less maintenance and help keep operations running with fewer interruptions. For many modern warehouses, they’ve become less of an upgrade and more of an everyday necessity.
But that dependence carries a dangerous irony. The very technology keeping your warehouse moving could also be the spark that brings the entire operation to a standstill.
Unlike conventional fires, lithium-ion battery fires can be dangerously unpredictable, difficult to extinguish and capable of reigniting long after the flames have disappeared. The extinguisher hanging on your warehouse wall might simply not be sufficient.
For a warehouse, the consequences extend well beyond a single machine. A fire can destroy valuable stock, damage infrastructure, put employees at risk and bring operations to a halt
SafeQuip, a South African manufacturer and distributor of firefighting equipment, is drawing attention to a potentially dangerous oversight: while businesses have embraced lithium-ion technology, their fire protection hasn’t necessarily been reviewed.
The rise of the lithium-ion battery
It’s hard to believe that the same battery technology powering today’s massive warehouse forklifts sarted in portable electronics.
When lithium-ion batteries first hit the market in 1991, they helped make smaller, lighter gadgets possible. Fast-forward a few decades, and they’re powering electric vehicles, industrial machinery and entire buildings. The invention was such a game-changer that the three scientists behind its development were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019.
So, what made these batteries so successful? For starters, they can store far more energy without the weight and bulk of older battery technologies. Inside each cell, lithium ions move between two electrodes as the battery charges and discharges. It’s this technology that made it possible to power everything from smartphones to heavy industrial machinery with smaller, lighter and longer-lasting batteries.
Then came South Africa’s electricity crisis, bringing with it a surge in demand for reliable backup power. In 2023 alone, South Africa experienced load-shedding on 335 days of the year. Businesses were desperate to keep the lights on and operations running and started investing in battery backup.
The spending tells its own story. South Africa imported an astonishing R32.4 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries in 2023. By 2024, as load-shedding eased, that figure had dropped to R8.1 billion.
But here’s something worth thinking about. Those billions of rands in batteries didn’t disappear when the power supply improved. Many are still sitting in inverter rooms, powering warehouse equipment and supporting businesses across the country.
As they keep doing the jobs they were bought for, they’re also getting older.
For warehouse owners, that raises an important question. Have the fire-safety arrangements kept pace with the growing number of batteries on site?
When a Battery Becomes Its Own Heat Source
Lithium-ion batteries are designed to be safe during normal use, but their chemistry makes failures particularly challenging.
Most contain a flammable liquid electrolyte. Physical damage, overheating, manufacturing defects, or an internal short circuit can cause a cell to enter thermal runaway. This happens when a failing cell begins generating heat faster than it can release it. That heat can spread to neighbouring cells, setting off a chain reaction inside the battery pack. As the battery overheats, it may release toxic, flammable gases, catch fire, or, in severe cases, explode.
A conventional CO₂, foam or dry-powder extinguisher might put out the flames, but that doesn’t mean the danger has passed. Deep inside the battery, temperatures can continue to rise, sometimes causing it to catch fire again hours or even days later.
For warehouse owners, that presents a serious problem. A battery that appears under control may still threaten nearby stock, equipment, and employees.
And this isn’t simply a hypothetical concern. In January 2026, a serious lithium-ion battery fire broke out at a commercial office complex. The batteries formed part of a solar energy installation, and emergency services were called to contain the incident.
Although this wasn’t a warehouse fire, it demonstrated how challenging a commercial battery incident can become.
Now consider the same type of failure in a warehouse surrounded by combustible packaging, storage racks and valuable stock.
Fire extinguishers mounted at regular intervals, safety signs clearly displayed and evacuation procedures in place are all reassuring at first glance. But were those extinguishers selected with lithium-ion battery fires in mind?
Seven fire safety checks every warehouse manager should make
Checking your warehouse’s battery fire safety doesn’t have to mean replacing all your existing equipment. A good place to start is by identifying where lithium-ion batteries are being used and whether the fire protection you already have is suitable for the risks they present.
- Find every battery: Start by identifying all the equipment in your warehouse that uses lithium-ion batteries, including forklifts, pallet jacks, backup power systems and any battery-powered products in storage. Make a record of where they’re located and their capacity, where possible.
- Take a closer look at charging areas: Start by identifying all the equipment in your warehouse that uses lithium-ion batteries, including forklifts, pallet jacks, backup power systems and any battery-powered products in storage. Compile records of where they’re located and their capacity, where possible. Check what’s around your charging stations. Are they too close to cardboard boxes, wooden pallets or other flammable materials? Is anything blocking an exit or access route? Make sure you’re using the correct chargers for each battery and that they’re installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Question the extinguishers on the wall: An extinguisher labelled for electrical fires may not be suitable for lithium-ion battery fires. Find out what it’s been tested for and whether its certification covers the intended application.
- Make sure employees recognise the warning signs: Never ignore unusual heat, swelling, hissing, strange smells, or gases escaping from a battery. Staff need to know how to report the problem, raise the alarm and evacuate.
- Revisit the fire-risk assessment: When did you last review the fire risks in your warehouse? If you’ve switched to lithium-ion forklifts, added charging stations or installed a bigger backup battery system since then, it’s worth taking another look. Your fire-risk assessment needs to account for what’s on site today.
- Keep maintenance and training records current: Keep a record of battery inspections, charger maintenance, extinguisher servicing and staff training. It’s also worth checking that everyone knows what to do in an emergency and that procedures are reviewed regularly.
- Know when to step back: Above all, employees need to know when to leave firefighting to the professionals. If a battery shows signs of thermal runaway, their first priority should be to move to safety, raise the alarm and call emergency services.
Where SafeQuip’s Lith-Ex Range Fits In
Different battery types and sizes present different hazards. Conventional extinguishers can work against certain fires, but they may not provide the cooling needed when lithium-ion cells are experiencing thermal runaway.
SafeQuip‘s Lith-Ex extinguishers use Aqueous Vermiculite Dispersion (AVD) technology.
AVD cools affected batteries while forming a protective barrier that helps limit fire spread and reduce the likelihood of reignition in suitable applications.
SafeQuip confirms that its Lith-Ex range holds SANS 1910:2022 approval and NTA 8133:2021 certification, and the 1L, 2L, 6L, and 9L models also carry KITEMARK approval.
The NTA 8133 testing standard is particularly relevant because it assesses portable extinguishers for lithium-battery fire applications, rather than relying solely on general extinguisher certification.
Of course, extinguishers are only one part of warehouse protection. Safe charging arrangements, maintenance, detection, trained employees and a suitable emergency response plan are just as important.
Speak to SafeQuip today about selecting appropriate fire protection for the batteries and equipment in your warehouse