Sure, just like large fuel tanks are a fire hazard. We have to take the correct precautions. In the case of batteries that is make things with the right margin of safety, and be careful how we charge. (probably more, I'm not a battery expert)
Batteries are a much greater hazard than gas fires. Not even close. To start, you can actually put gas fires out with a reasonable amount of water before its fuel source is burnt up.
Typically battery fires with no obvious cause are due to a fault in the manufacturing process. Big batteries are more vulnerable simply because there are more cells to potentially have a defect.