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Fire Department gives tips to avoid Lithium-ion battery related fires
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LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Lithium-ion batteries are an incredibly popular source of power, especially in electric vehicles like cars, bikes and scooters. But over the past couple of years, there has been a noticeable increase in fires caused by the batteries.
Last October the Baton Rouge Fire Department released photos of an electric scooter that caught fire in a parking garage at LSU.
Outside of Louisiana, the New York Fire Department released a PSA warning people of the uptick in fires as a result of the batteries in their "take it outside" campaign.
Alton Trahan with the Lafayette Fire Department recognizes that dangers are also present here in Lafayette.
"For us, it's more of the smaller lithium-ion batteries that are used for some smaller devices," said Trahan. "Saturday at the half hour, the guy had a remote-control car. He was recharging his battery and he put the batteries on top of a chair inside the house while it overheated and ignited the fabric on the chair. And I think you know, you have a house fire."
The question is, why is this power source so flammable and how can these incidents be prevented?
"Because they overheat, sometimes it can be a damaged battery," explained Trahan. "Let's say you dropped the battery or something and then you plug it up to recharge. That has an opportunity to overheat on the interior. Next thing you know, you have a small fire."
Trahan presents a few tips to avoid potential disaster.
"How often do we charge them, you know, and how long do we charge them for? We recommend you follow all directions. The other concern is where are you recharging them at? So, it's about how you go about actually recharging those devices," he said.
Following the instructions on packaging and taking the precaution of charging them outside and away from a building could be a lifesaving difference.