Fate is the Hunter remains one of my favorite aviation books almost 50 years after I first read it as a kid. And fate has thrown the aviation world a big bone here.... this battery fire occurred on the ground and not at FL410 over the Aleutian Islands or off Kamchatka. And even with this fire on the ground, it was quickly discovered and dealt with before the entire aircraft could be destroyed, greatly hampering the process of discovering the cause.
If the aviation world and Boeing ignore the gift that fate has presented to it because of the massive financial implications and repercussions, that will be folly to the highest degree.
If I heard today that the 787 fleet was grounded until a solution was found, I would understand perfectly. But at a minimum, these airplanes should be routed so that immediate landings can be made in the event of another fire. As SR111 showed and the AC DC-9 at CVG, even that may not be enough when your ship is burning in flight!
There are only a couple of dozen 787s flying today, and at least two of them have had a fire in the aft electronics bay. Fate has been kind... the test ship was able to land in Texas back in 2010 (crew evacuated with slides) and the JAL ship was between flights and on the ground.
We cannot count on fate being so kind the next time!