Lithium-ion batteries spark new scrutiny after fatal fire in New York
DORAL - Days after a blaze tore through a building in New York, CBS News Miami wanted to know more about the batteries suspected to be the cause of the deadly fire.
Four people died and two others were critically hurt in the Tuesday morning fire at an e-bike repair shop near the city's Chinatown district. Firefighters said lithium-ion batteries made fighting the fire exceptionally difficult.
Although the batteries benefits are well known they can pose a hazard.
"Lithium-ion batteries are safe in general," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Mike Adams. "There are certain things that create problems with them. One being mechanical damage. If the battery is damaged in some way, it can short-circuit and start a fire. If you use the wrong charger or wrong type of charger, the battery will fail inside and do thermal runaway as we saw in New York City."
The batteries are found in smart phones, wireless listening devices, smart watches, tablets, laptop computers, e-bikes and scooters and electric vehicles.
Adams says when using these devices, you should always use the charger provided by the manufacturer.
If you must replace the battery or charger, get the replacement straight from the company. Always charge e-bikes and scooters outside, under cover and away from the house.
Firefighters say fighting electric car fires is significantly harder than fighting traditional car fires.
"A standard car fire, a fire crew can put the fire out with 350 gallons of water," Adams said. "A lithium-ion battery e-powered car will take upwards of 10,000 gallons of water, so it's a lot more labor intensive and a lot more resources required to put these fires out. The major difference with fighting a lithium-ion battery fire as compared to a regular fire, lithium batteries produce a lot of heat, and they also produce a lot of toxic smoke that's harmful to the individual and the environment."
As for how you know lithium-ion batteries are failing, Adams said watch for these signs:
- Batteries swell or are too hot to the touch.
- The item smells differently.
- Smoke is coming out of the battery.
Should that happen, Adams recommends you stop charging the device, move it out of the house and immediately call the manufacturer.