Orange County officials have confirmed that hydrogen cyanide was detected in air-quality samples taken during a lithium-ion battery storage fire at a Convergent Energy and Power facility in Warwick earlier this month — one of three such fires connected to the company’s sites in the area over the last two years.

The fire broke out during heavy rain on Dec. 19 at the company’s 28 Church St. battery storage facility. According to Orange County emergency management officials, hydrogen cyanide was recorded at 0.5 parts per million at a meter placed just outside the facility while the fire was burning — about half of the maximum allowable amount under federal guidelines. Downwind monitors, they say, measured zero. Monitoring continued through Dec. 21 as battery temperatures dropped enough for crews to begin cleanup and investigation.

Officials are not confirming the presence of any additional chemicals during the latest fire, and final reports on the air quality or cause have not yet been released.

In 2023, two back-to-back incidents — one at the village site on Church Street and another at a Convergent facility located on Warwick school district property — involved weather-related water infiltration. During those fires, county officials confirmed “toxic chemicals” at levels considered safe but would not identify which ones.

News 12 has filed Freedom of Information Law requests for full air-quality results from all three Warwick battery fires, but those records have not been provided yet. Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard says the repeat fires are prompting new discussions about safety and accountability.

“It was heart-stopping — especially since we’ve been here before,” he told News 12 – adding that the village is now reviewing enforcement options and speaking with legal counsel.

Environmental advocate Pramilla Malik, chair of Protect Orange County, says testing should go further than short-term air readings.

“They’ve lost the window on air testing. Now they must do soil testing for fluoride and heavy metals,” Malik said.

A county official with the Office of Emergency Management says the agency is not conducting follow-up testing, adding that a third-party mediation company is responsible for the cleanup and notifying the Department of Environmental Conservation if there is any indication that the material penetrated the soil.

In an initial statement attributed to a Convergent Energy and Power spokesperson, the company confirmed the fire was contained to a single unit and extinguished within 24 hours, saying hazmat measured air quality as safe while crews monitored the site. The company said it’s too early to determine whether this incident is connected to the 2023 fires and that a root-cause analysis is underway. Convergent says system upgrades and new safety measures were put in place following past incidents, including equipment replacements, third-party reviews and updated response plans.

The Department of Environmental Conservation says its investigation found no environmental impacts to air, soil, or water beyond the localized fire site.

"Since the battery storage fire at this facility in 2023, Governor Hochul convened the New York State Inter-Agency Fire Working Group, which guided the adoption of some of the nation’s most robust safety standards for energy storage systems, reinforced by stringent oversight and independent, third-party review. Ongoing coordination with local governments remains crucial and in this fire, DEC observed a significant reduction from 2023 in the amount of water used by fire officials in their successful efforts to contain the fire. This reduced the potential for runoff to carry contaminants that could impact natural resources," a DEC representative said.

News 12 reached out to Convergent for updated information. A company spokesperson said, "It is too early to determine the cause. That will happen through a root cause analysis (RCA), which has begun and will take time. Convergent is committed to sharing the results of the RCA and maintaining an open dialogue with the Village."