Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Alan Burgess is warning people to be careful with lithium-ion batteries after a fire on Saturday.
The blaze in a house on Cameron St, about 1.30am, was one of at least four the brigade had attended over the last two years where lithium batteries were the cause.
Burgess said the fire was contained to a single bedroom where there were many of the batteries. Which battery caused the fire, and whether it was charging something at the time, was yet to be determined by fire investigators.
Ranging in size from small to large, the batteries were becoming more common in people’s homes and garages. This was due to an increase in chargeable items such as e-bikes and battery-operated power tools. They are also used in other everyday products such as mobile phones and vapes.
When things went bad with the batteries, ‘‘they go bad very, very quickly’’, Burgess said.
He advised people to ensure they had the correct chargers, as mixing these up could cause a fire. He also advised people not to use a battery if it had been dropped or damaged. And for those charging e-bikes, they needed to be mindful that if this was in a hallway and a fire started there, it could potentially block an exit.
‘‘It’s just making sure you still have a safe exit point in the house if something goes wrong,’’ Burgess said.
Meanwhile, the Waimate District Council warned residents this week to properly dispose of batteries, following a fire caused by a lithium-ion battery. It happened during a kerbside collection, in the back of a recycling collection truck. The truck’s load was discharged and St Andrews Volunteer Fire Brigade members extinguished the fire.
Fire and Emergency community education manager Tom Ronaldson told RNZ late last year the batteries could go into a process called thermal runaway.
‘‘If someone was to experience a battery that was making a strange sound or overheating or on fire or emitting smoke, we recommend that you evacuate immediately and call 111,’’ Ronaldson said.
