The last few hours Official fire investigations show that fires in the data center used by Elon Musk may have begun after electrical or mechanical problems in the power system.
Wired was the first to report on the fire, which took place on May 22 in Hillsboro, Oregon. Data center giant Digital Real Estate, which runs 13-acre websites, has multiple people who have previously been familiar with the matter told Wired that Musk-Run social platform X has servers there.
According to various researchers, in the past decade, data center fires have been rare in thousands of facilities around the world, with about twenty-two well-known events. However, the growing demand for generating AI technology (relying on a large number of advanced computers) is expanding the size and power requirements of data centers. Ultimately, strong loads may make AI data centers more susceptible to overheating or failure-related fires.
At the X data center, firefighters initially thought the lithium-ion battery might have been involved in the fire, but it wasn’t the case in the end, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue spokesman Piseth Pich said.
According to a report from the fire department obtained by Wired, the fire ignited Schneider Electric Galaxy VX uninterrupted power supply (UPS) cabinets. The UPS system is about the size of a vending machine, made of metal and plastic, acting as a filter and temporary battery that provides consistent power in the event of interruptions or other problems. Industry experts say they are common in data centers.
“The UPS accommodates large battery packs, like electric vehicle batteries, can be affected by fires caused by power failure or temporary high loads,” said Shaolei Ren, an electrical and computer engineer at UC Riverside, Research Center.
The report said fire department investigators were unable to visually identify the cause of the UPS cabinet, but could not rule out electrical or mechanical failures of the “complex electrical system”. The direction of burning indicates that the fire is beginning to be inside the cabinet.
Digital real estate spokesman William Reynolds said the company could “confirm that the fire is electrical in nature and not caused by lithium-ion batteries.” His colleague Helen Bleasdale added that the company had shared “relevant updates” with affected customers and “also improved to prevent relapses.” They declined to elaborate on the statements.
Schneider Electric and Xai, who own X, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the fire department, firefighters arrived 11 minutes after the first smoke alarm. In the power room on the second floor, they encountered smoke from the floor and soaked the burning cabinet with a fire extinguisher. The report lists the estimated loss of $260,000 in data centers, including all destroying a power cabinet. Two neighbors suffered injuries. No injuries.
Electrical engineer Russell Carroll’s California-based EMI detective helps investigate the fire, saying insufficient cooling and temperature monitoring of the power system can lead to the fire. “Poor ventilation cabinets can cause the battery to overheat,” he said. He noted that the photos at the scene “showed a perforated panel with good ventilation”.
