Natchitoches Parish Fire District No. 5 was dispatched to a structure fire on Saturday, March 11at 5:50 am on Hwy. 478.
On arrival, members found a compromised lithium battery on an ebicycle that had ignited and extended into a bedroom. The fire was quickly brought under control, isolating the damage to the room of origin.
Be aware that Lithium-ion batteries can pose a serious fire risk!
As of 2018, in the previous five years recorded by OSHA, 25,000 incidents of lithium-ion battery fires and explosions were documented. There have been more than 200 fires in New York City in 2022 caused by batteries from e-bikes, electric scooters and similar devices. Lithium-ion battery explosions are now the third leading cause of fires in the city.
Here are a few tips to safely use Lithium-ion batteries:
-Only use the charger supplied by the brand that matches the battery.
-Only plug the charger directly into the wall.
-Do not over charge lithium-ion batteries or leave them plugged in and charging indefinitely.
-Make sure you have a smoke detector in the area where you charge your lithium-ion battery. It is not recommended to store ebikes, scooters or hover boards inside the home or garage.
-If your battery has been involved in a flooding event, dented or damaged in any way, consider it permanently damaged and do not charge it.
-Keep an ABC class fire extinguisher or a dry-chemical fire extinguisher on hand to quickly extinguish a battery fire or explosion.
