ikat II, the Philippine entry to the bi-annual World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia, caught fire late afternoon in Tennant Creek as its handlers were settling down for the day. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and Team Solar Philippines remains hopeful to be able to complete the race.
According to Harold Geronimo, the PR manager of Team Solar Philippines, the team had already called it a day and settled down at the designated checkpoint in Tennant Creek when, at around 3:45pm (2:15pm in the Philippines), one of the car's batteries apparently overheated and burst into flames.
There were no injuries from the fire, according to Geronimo, because Sikat II had already been parked and was recharging at the time. The team, including the driver, were a safe distance away.
Responding firemen from the Tennant Creek Fire Department were quickly able to put out the flames, but have cordoned off the area due to contamination from the toxic chemicals that spilled out from the ruined battery.
Geronimo said that the extent of the damage has yet to be fully assessed, but there seems to be no damage to the car except for the damaged battery. The car's solar cells appear to be in working order, with only minor fire damage to the body.
In a press statement issued at around 5pm, Team Solar Philippines expressed hope that it can still complete the race.
"We will be evaluating the possiblity of replacing the battery pack after the WSC organizers gave us the option to continue the race," the statement read.
Since its departure from the starting line in Darwin two days ago, October 16, Sikat II had been making excellent progress. By the time it arrived in Tennant Creek earlier today, it had already passed six other cars and was in 18th place just behind the entry from the US' Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Sikat II was preparing to slip past the MIT team tomorrow, if not for the unexpected fire.
