Strathcona County firefighters warn of lithium-ion battery risks after home destroyed

Firefighters eastbound of Edmonton are informing nan nationalist astir nan imaginable occurrence risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, aft a blaze destroyed a location earlier this month.

In nan early greeting hours of Saturday, July 20, Strathcona County firefighters were called to a occurrence astatine a location successful a agrarian portion of nan county.

“I opened up my blinds and her full location was engulfed successful flames and it was conscionable shocking,” said Teresa Esson, who lives adjacent nan location that caught fire.

“Her house, apparently, is wholly written disconnected now… Sadly enough, she’s displaced from her home.”

Esson said she has since spoken pinch nan homeowner, Daralynn Swensrude, who told her nan occurrence started wrong nan beforehand entranceway of her home.

“There was a occurrence connected nan crushed by her beforehand entranceway and (she) couldn’t understand what was causing nan occurrence because there’s nary electrical there,” Esson said. “She ran and sewage nan occurrence extinguisher, put it retired and she said wrong for illustration 30 seconds it conscionable started up again. She put it retired again and aforesaid point happened.

“It went up again and she said, ‘I gotta get out, nan fume is conscionable excessively thick.’”

Swensrude and her canine were capable to make it safely retired of house. She has since learned it was lithium-ion batteries that caught fire. The batteries were for a lawnmower and weedwhacker.

“(I) had nary thought astir these batteries,” Swensrude said. “I do deliberation location needs to beryllium decidedly much user consciousness astir them successful nan safety.

“I conscionable utilized them a fewer days earlier and they were sitting connected nan floor, not successful nan charger… They were not being charged. They were conscionable sitting wrong nan beforehand door.”

Esson said she was “absolutely floored” to study astir nan batteries, arsenic she has respective successful her location and garage.

Kelly Lehr, lawman main of operations support for Strathcona County Emergency Services, said nan region has responded to 2 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries this year. While nan region is not seeing a spike successful these types of fires, Kelly Lehr said officials are becoming much alert of them.

“We are surely trying to get nan connection retired to nan nationalist connected really we tin minimize nan consequence that comes from utilizing these mini devices that person unthinkable energy-storing capabilities,” Lehr said.

Trending Now

He said immoderate of nan risks travel erstwhile charging these types of batteries.

“If nan artillery is damaged successful immoderate way, possibly not utilized appropriately, not charged pinch nan manufacturer’s charging cablegram device, that could lead to problems that whitethorn person contributed to nan event, to nan fire,” he explained.

“Often these issues travel erstwhile nan charging instrumentality possibly isn’t matched to nan exertion to nan tool. So possibly personification bought a charging cord that isn’t really designed for that device, it doesn’t align. That tin lead to risk.”

Lehr said power tin besides exacerbate nan occurrence risk.

“It surely impacts nan charging devices and nan batteries erstwhile you’re nether those charging conditions. Extreme temperatures tin summation nan risk. Ideally for our location devices, we’re charging them astatine room temperature, they’re not excessively adjacent to nan stove aliases a furnace outlet. Those conditions tin effect really nan instrumentality will function,” he said.

“When it comes to lithium-ion devices, our cellphones, ne'er complaint that instrumentality nether your pillow, connected a couch, connected your bed. Always make judge it’s successful a spot that has bully airflow, circulation. And do not support charging devices erstwhile you cognize they’re afloat charged.”

Lehr said it’s besides important to support an oculus connected nan information of nan battery.

“Signs of problem that you want to beryllium alert of: your artillery putting disconnected odours, changes successful nan colour of nan artillery pack, nan artillery battalion becoming excessively basking to touch, changes successful style aliases immoderate leakage astir nan artillery are each concerns, successful which lawsuit you should return that artillery to an due disposal location.”

More accusation connected reducing nan consequence of occurrence from lithium-ion batteries tin beryllium recovered connected Strathcona County’s website.