FlightPathOBN:
The fire fighters were not aware of Li nor were able to contain the fire...
in flight..well damn..
I think that the firefighters may have been intellectually aware of how to contain the fire but gave too much weight to the directive to avoid damage to the equipment in the bay.
Water is the only thing readily available which will both cut off oxygen and cool the battery to prevent re-ignition. The training for flight crew on the other hand emphasizes the importance of water in fighting a Lithium battery fire very strongly. (Urinate on it if you have to...
) Do not try this in the middle of a compartment full of 400+ volt AC!
I would have hoped that the firefighters would have carefully resorted to water much earlier in the incident given that all power had been shut down.
In flight, on the other hand, extinguishing is just not an option:
Composite fire liners and a fire door separate the aft E/E from the aft cargo compartment. The aft E/E may be accessed through the aft cargo compartment if the compartment is empty. While the environmental conditions in the E/E are similar to the main passenger cabin above it, the compartment is not accessible from the main passenger deck.