Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries on the rise

Fire departments across the Bay Area are noticing an alarming trend of fires that are caused by lithium-ion batteries.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) says it's not time to panic but it is time to educate the community, especially since we are surrounded by lithium-ion batteries that are always left charging.

On Wednesday, crews knocked down a fire at a home in Walnut Creek that fire investigators believe was sparked by a charging lithium-ion battery. Neighbors say this incident makes them think twice about what they're charging and when.

"I'm thinking I have to go check every outlet in my house," said neighbor Robert Scheffler. "We leave stuff charging overnight."

"In the last nine days, we've had three of these fires and we've noticed an increasing trend toward over the last year or two," said Con Fire spokesperson Steve Hill.

Con Fire says residents can take steps to protect their homes. Move devices to the garage if you can and don't leave them charging for days at a time. This includes your cordless vacuum cleaner to your electric toothbrush. 

"Anything that you use by the way of an electrical device or electrical appliance that uses electric power and that doesn't have a cord plugged into the wall, well it's guaranteed to have a rechargeable battery," said Hill.

Hill added there is evidence to suggest improper chargers may be to blame but more needs to be done to figure out why there has been a rise in cases. 

"I would want to know more. I would hope that the consumer affairs department would look into it and officials that are charged with oversight," said Scheffler. If we're buying these things, they should be vetted and tested for sure."

Con Fire says there are local fire departments and national agencies looking into what is exactly causing these batteries to explode and start fires.