Carmel Fire Department warns of lithium-ion battery and charger fire risks

By HANNA MORDOH & JUSTIN RAZAVI
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

The Carmel Fire Department is warning people to watch out for lithium-ion batteries and charging equipment.

Early last week, firefighters said their crews responded to a garage filled with smoke. The cause was batteries that had been left charging.

“If you walked into your garage right now, would you find a drill, weed trimmer, leaf blower, e-bike, scooter, or other battery-powered tool plugged in? Most of us would,” Carmel FD posted on Facebook. “Unfortunately, we’re responding more than ever to house fires and close calls caused by lithium-ion batteries and charging equipment.”

The department’s public information officer, Tim Griffin, said in an interview, “Over the last year, we’ve seen such an uptick in fires in garages and areas where chargers are.”

Photo provided by Carmel Fire Department

Griffin estimated that at least half of the garage fires the agency has seen in the last year were related to charging instruments and battery-powered devices. He said his best advice to prevent this type of fire is to avoid buying replacement batteries for devices that are made by third-party manufacturers.

“So you have a brand name tool and then you get on Amazon when the battery goes bad, or you damage it, and you buy an off-market brand,” he said. “[Instead] you really want to make sure that you’re buying the same brand.”

According to the fire department, charging batteries is not inherently dangerous, but leaving them plugged in indefinitely, using damaged batteries or chargers, or charging them in areas with combustible materials can increase the risk of fire.

Crews are urging people to unplug tools and devices once they are charged.

Fire crews offer these simple reminders:

• Charge batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Unplug electronics once fully charged.
• Charge them in a well-ventilated area away from anything that can burn.
• Never use damaged batteries or chargers.

The Facebook post read, “Take a minute tonight to walk through your garage. Unplug anything that’s finished charging; it only takes a few seconds and could help prevent a fire.”

The Carmel Fire Department said, thankfully, in this most recent case, the smoke was noticed early, and a quick response by firefighters prevented what could have become a much more serious fire.

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/local-news/carmel-fire-department-warns-of-lithium-ion-battery-and-charger-fire-risks.