Devices with lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly more popular. They’re in everything from bikes to scooters, computers to cars, and that is also leading to an increase in fires when proper precautions aren’t taken.
It happened in 30 seconds. That’s what the owner of this San Francisco home said off camera about the fire that started on Thursday inside his garage.
The culprit his leaf blower with a lithium-ion battery that was charging.
“It’s described as explosive. Very quickly. The battery becomes so hot, so quickly and it releases the poisonous gas,” said SF Fire Capt. Justin Schorr.
In this case, no injuries were reported, but this is an example of a growing number of fires traced back to these lithium-ion batteries.
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“Over the last four years, the San Francisco Fire Department has seen a significant increase in the number of lithium-ion battery fires due to these devices,” said Capt. Schorr.