The Berkshires' Classic Hits Station

We have heard on several different occasions this year about fires that were started because of the careless use of Lithium-Ion batteries, which are used very commonly in many different devices that you probably use every day. These items include cell phones, game controllers, computer peripherals in many cases, Bluetooth headsets and headphones, and eScooters, which seem to be exploding in popularity. And these are really just a few items that use these batteries.

The bottom line is that you simply have to exercise proper care when charging something that uses these batteries. And that really just means not leaving those devices unattended.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Service posted a warning about these batteries today on its Facebook page, regarding a recent working fire that was started with a lithium-ion battery and also drew a District 1 Hazmat response and initiated a response from the Norwell Fire Department.

The U.S. Fire Administration says that these batteries are dangerous in several ways. In using them, there is a risk of electric shock, thermal runaway, battery ignition and reignition, and stranded energy.

What we are concerned with here is "thermal runaway' which is basically when a device heats up so much that it burst into flames. More specifically, during a thermal runaway, the battery cell temperature rises so incredibly fast, in milliseconds until the energy stored in that battery is released very suddenly.

You can get some very good information about the dangers of these Lithium-Ion batteries including response guides from the National Fire Protection Association, HERE. All of the guides are free to download.