Lithium Ion Batteries
Warnings about Lithium Ion batteries
Recently The Rants group had the first catastrophic residential fire they’ve had in their history of over 40 years. After an extensive fire investigation it was determined that the fire was started from a rechargeable lithium ion battery that was being recharged improperly.
The battery was placed inside a deep plastic container which allowed the fumes to ignite the plastic and surrounding items. To make matters even worse the door to the garage was open because the tenant was using an electric barbecue smoker and it was rainy and breezy outside. This weather pattern exasperated the situation. The weather caused the fire to swirl through the garage igniting everything in its path.
This would have been avoided had the tenant adhered to the manufacturer’s warnings and placed the battery on a workbench in an open air environment. So please remember to read the manufactures warning and realize it is there for a reason.
The tenant, firemen and even I had originally thought the cause of the fire was an electric barbecue/smoker being used inside of the garage. The fire marshal spent an entire day investigating the cause of the fire and at the end of the day it was determined to be the lithium ion battery. While it is still not a good idea to use a barbecue smoker inside the garage, the loss for the owner/investor was fortunate enough to be covered by a fire policy that also included a rental loss coverage. The home was a total economic loss. Fortunately no injuries occurred.