CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Chesterfield Fire & EMS are providing residents with safety tips regarding the fire risk of lithium-ion batteries.
Officials said the batteries can overheat, catch fire and cause explosions if they experience thermal runaway — which happens when the temperature inside the battery gets so hot that the lithium-ion cell can no longer dissipate heat and begins to uncontrollably self-heat.
There are four main causes of thermal runaway: damage, electrochemical abuse from overcharging, extreme temperatures or an internal short-circuit…