“So, if you’re forcing that charge, now you’re overheating that battery, you’re causing internal damage.” That is how Fire Chief Jake Carrel of the Kaukauna Fire Department, in Wisconsin, explained what goes wrong with the batteries that power smartphones, laptops and children’s toys. Two lithium-ion fires in a single week had just given his department reason to remind people.
The trouble, Carrel said, often starts when people swap an old, worn-out battery for a cheap replacement that does not match the charger. Reading the label and checking exactly which models are compatible matters. Forcing the charge is what overheats the cell.
Where you charge matters
E-bikes and scooters run on the same kind of battery, and Carrel said he worries about where they are plugged in. “One of the things that scares me though is to see those being charged at exits,” he said. If a charger fails and the device catches fire, it can block the way out of the home.
A damaged battery is a different problem
Once a battery is damaged, the advice changes. Carrel said it should not go in the garbage. The county is the place to call for guidance on handling it. He also cautioned against carrying a damaged battery in a car: “you might have a problem on the way there.” His suggestion was to tell the authorities about it and let them take care of it.
Fire officials in Boise, Idaho, make the same point from the waste side. The Boise Fire Department staged a joint demonstration on a Tuesday, with the Curb It team and Republic Services, to show how easily a damaged battery can ignite. The danger rises when batteries are crushed, because they can go into thermal runaway, a chain reaction in which the battery heats rapidly, may release toxic gases and can catch fire.
Garbage trucks are where it shows, said Bruce Smith, who manages operations at Republic Services. “Customers unknowingly throw them away in their trash, and then when we put them in our trucks and cycle the truck, the pressure and the damage has caused the batteries, causing the fire,” he said. Last year the company logged roughly four to six fires traced to batteries. Some destroyed trucks. Others sent crews scrambling to empty smoldering loads before the fire spread.
Roy Mitchell, who leads special operations for Boise firefighters, said the rise in fires is no surprise given the number of EVs, scooters and other devices that use these batteries. “We are seeing an increase, but we know that just by the amount of EVs, scooters, just all kinds of devices that are being powered by these, it’s inevitable,” he said.
Boise officials ask residents to keep every lithium-ion battery out of trash and recycling carts. Approved places to take them include the Ada County Landfill and sites in the city’s free hazardous household waste scheme.
Sources
- Kaukauna Fire Department warns of lithium-ion battery dangers after two fires in one week (WBAY)
- Boise Fire shares tips to avoid lithium-ion battery fires (Yahoo News)
