GLENDALE, AZ — After two fires at the same Valley home in one night, fire officials are sounding the alarm about the dangers of lithium batteries, which are common in many households.
Glendale Fire Department says a family experienced the fires late Tuesday night while charging three e-bike batteries in their garage.
One of the batteries reportedly exploded and caught fire, forcing emergency crews to come to the home. Hours later, while investigators were on the scene after removing the two other bikes, a second battery caught fire. Fortunately, the investigator was able to quickly extinguish the flames.
Seven people in the home were displaced due to the fire, and no one was injured.
Braxton Horejs works at Bicycle Depot of Arizona and says electric-assisted bikes are extremely popular with customers.
"They're a ton of fun, great bikes to really get you outside," he said.
But Horejs says there is a learning curve when it comes to properly maintaining the lithium battery.
"Anything that has a battery needs some care," he said.
Lithium (ion) batteries are commonly used in items like smartphones, laptops, e-scooters, e-bikes, e-cigarettes, smoke alarms, toys, power tools, tablets, cameras, and even cars.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), "In February 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Status Report on High Energy Density Batteries Project reported over 25,000 overheating or fire incidents involving more than 400 types of lithium battery-powered consumer products that occurred over a five-year period."
Here are some tips from the National Fire Protection Association to help keep you and your family safe, and reduce fire danger while using lithium batteries:
- Purchase and use devices that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions
- Only use the battery that is designed for the device
- Put batteries in the device the right way
- Only use the charging cord that came with the device
- Do not charge a device under your pillow, on your bed, or on a couch
- Do not keep charging the device or device battery after it is fully charged
- Keep batteries at room temperature when possible. Do not charge them at temperatures below 32°F (0°C) or above 105°F (40°C)
- Store batteries away from anything that can catch fire
- Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash. Recycling is always the best option. Take them to a battery recycling location or contact your community for disposal instructions. Do not put discarded batteries in piles.
