Inflight battery fire

[AviatorInsight]

Lithium metal fires (different to Li-ion fires) is best extinguished with a class D extinguisher (not carried on board our aircraft). Halon or BCF extinguishers are great for class A,B and C.

For best results, a foam extinguisher, CO2, or ABC dry chemical is best but these are not on board. Water-based products are more readily available and are appropriate since Li-ion contains very little (if any?) lithium metal that reacts with water. Water also cools the adjacent area and prevents the fire from spreading.

So, the fact they used water and orange juice was the correct method for extinguishing the fire.

 

[Quickstatus]

If an onboard extinguisher is discharged does this affect the MEL?

 

[AviatorInsight]

If an onboard extinguisher is discharged does this affect the MEL?

The MEL is applied before dispatch (the meaning of dispatch can vary from airline to airline) and also after dispatch but before take off. If this happened at the gate with the main 1L door open (i.e. not dispatched) the PIC would consult the MEL, which states that all portable fire extinguishers are required for dispatch.

If the aircraft has been dispatched and before take off, the MEL shall then be consulted to determine is dispatch is available. In this case the PIC needs to consider that the unserviceability does not affect the safety of flight. Would you continue after a cabin fire and some portable extinguishers have been used?

After take off, the MEL has no bearing and the non normal checklist is to be consulted. For an inflight fire, I'd expect the cabin crew to call us of the fire situation and how many fire extinguishers have been used. This will allow us to determine a course of action with regards to diverting, (what if the fire starts up again and there are no extinguishers left?) or continuing on.