Evacuations begin after first alarm fire at SDG&E battery bank warehouse

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — The Escondido Police Department evacuated surrounding businesses after firefighters responded to an active, first-alarm commercial fire at the SDG&E Yard Thursday afternoon.

According to the Escondido Fire Department Battalion Chief, the dispatch center received a call about an alarm going off on lithium-ion battery storage units at the SDG&E battery bank warehouse located in the 500 block of Enterprise Avenue. The caller noticed smoke coming from the trailer.

Police evacuated commercial businesses east of the site, and City and San Diego County Hazmat units were also on the scene. The Fire Department said evacuation notices were sent to more people than originally planned. Click here For the eviction list.

WATCH: Sky10 flew over the blaze to capture aerial footage of the blaze as firefighters battled it.

Evacuations begin after first alarm fire at SDG&E battery bank warehouse

Crews contained the fire to one trailer and fought the fire using remote water flows from outside the fence perimeter. The Battalion Chief said they also provided water flows to other trailers to prevent them from catching and spreading the fire.

The Battalion Commander also said that crews will allow the already burning storage unit to burn out and that no water will be thrown directly onto the fire as this will cause a greater mess.

SDG&E released the following statement to ABC 10News:

“This afternoon, security crews responded to a fire at SDG&E’s battery storage facility in Escondido. Advanced fire suppression systems were immediately activated and the incident was contained to one of 24 battery storage containers. There are no reported injuries and emergency responders are on scene. SDG&E is working with first responders to ensure the safety of our employees and community and will conduct a full investigation of the incident to determine the cause.”

The Escondido Police Department also issued evacuations for the Carilyn Gilbert Education Center building, Del Dios Arts and Sciences Academy, Limitless Learning Academy and Rock Springs Elementary School, according to the Escondido Union School District.

The district said it canceled school activities in three areas on Friday “out of an abundance of caution and due to the unpredictable nature of the fire,” but planned to resume classes on Monday, Sept. 8.