@gas_path:
Interesting report!
Given the doubts and concerns about performance of epoxy/carbon composite skins in fire, I think it very important that the accident investigation address -- to the extent feasible -- how the damage (and its projected effects, had the fire occurred in flight) would compare to a similar fire scenario on a plane of conventional construction.
*** Links that may be of interest ***
An Airbus presentation from last year on Li battery fire hazards, that identifies the ELT batt as one of the "permanently installed batteries," along with the Airbus approach to mitigating the risks:
http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/2078.pdf
A little brochure for a Honeywell transport ELT (I do NOT assume this is the same model as installed on the incident 787 -- just an example for those curious about these kinds of gadget):
http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/comm...06_AFN_ELT.pdf