Investigators have determined that a recent fire that heavily damaged a Newberg home was caused by the simplest of items: a battery.
A release from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said the one-alarm fire on Oct. 5 at a home in the 300 block of The Greens Avenue was caused by the failure of a small lithium-ion battery located on the back porch of the structure. The battery was neither being charged or used at the time of the blaze, the release said.
The agency said that lithium-ion batteries can ignite when damaged cells experience what is called “thermal runaway,” which causes a chain reaction that generates intense heat and can foment a fire. Damage to the battery from impact, overcharging, overheating and manufacturing defects can lead to thermal runaway, which can then produce extreme heat and generate highly toxic smoke…