Chicago Fire Department warns of spike in fires caused by lithium batteries
CHICAGO (CBS) -- From laptops and tablets to e-scooters and vapes, rechargeable lithium batteries are everywhere.
But the Chicago Fire Department says it has seen a spike in the number of fires sparked by lithium batteries, and injuries that have resulted.
Lithium-ion batteries can erupt in violent explosions and out-of-control fires, and toxic chemicals can be released rapidly.
Such fires can be triggered by something as seemingly innocent as the gnawing of the family dog—as happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month.
"They behave differently than a standard type of a fire, if you will ," said Robert Slone, chief scientist at UL Solutions, a Northbrook-based safety science company and testing laboratory. "They are more explosive, and they bring their own sort of dangers and risks involved with them."
Slone said to beware of mixing and matching chargers and batteries, to stay away from aftermarket products, and always to look for the UL certification.
As seen in a UL Solutions testing video, lithium-ion batteries can heat up, spark, and erupt into flames quickly.
"We also look at the chargers associated with these products," said Slone, "so a perfectly good, safe battery can be sent into an unsafe condition if it's mismatched with a charger that was never designed for it."
The Chicago Fire Department recently released a public service announcement on lithium-ion battery safety, as they respond to an increasing number of fires caused by the batteries.
The PSA warns against counterfeit batteries, improper charging, mixing battery types, aging batteries, and battery modifications. The CFD also warns of a danger if a lithium battery is leaking, bulging, or has a strange odor.
Last year in New York City, 18 deaths were attributed to fires started by the batteries—which were a leading cause of fires.
THE CFD said it recently began collecting similar data.
As of this week, it is also the law that e-scooters and e-bikes sold in the city, which run on lithium batteries, must be tested and certified before hitting the streets.