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Fire department warns about charging batteries after 2 house fires in Blue Springs
KMBC News ^ | June 30, 2022 | Brian Johnson

Posted on 07/01/2022 10:10:11 AM PDT by gitmo

Authorities said two recent fires in Blue Springs were both caused by lithium-ion batteries that are commonly found in most homes.

No one was hurt in the fires.

Rechargeable batteries are found in a variety of products. The fire department said to make sure your smoke detectors work and take action.

The pictures show what's left of a Dyson vacuum that caught fire from a third-party battery purchased on Amazon. The fire started in the primary bedroom closet while the family was at home.

"They burn at really high heat. It takes a lot of water," said fire Capt. Derrick Llewellyn, of the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District.

Llewellyn said that two months earlier a hoverboard caught fire while charging.

In the case of the vacuum, the family did everything right. They matched the battery specifications. A Dyson product was months out and so they went with Amazon.

"It's one of those that has the charging system that screws to the wall and then plugs in so it's convenient," Llewellyn said.

The fire department says it is best to replace batteries with original ones straight from the manufacturer.

"We all have these items around our house," Llewellyn said.

Authorities said that if you do go with a third-party battery, take precautions. Unplug them at night. Take the batteries off the charger after they're finished. The fire department fears it will respond to more fires caused by batteries in the future.

"I think we'll see more because as you know, we are starting to see a lot of things work off of these lithium-ion batteries," Llewellyn said.

Experts said to never charge a device on a bed, couch or near other things that can catch fire. Keep batteries at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. They also recommend homeowners stop using batteries if they get too hot, change color, or produce an unusual


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: batteries; charging; fires; gasolineneverburns; lithiumbatteries; lithiumionbatteries; ohnoz
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Only use batteries purchased from the device's manufacturer.
1 posted on 07/01/2022 10:10:11 AM PDT by gitmo
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To: gitmo

IOW, stop buying Ebay crap.


2 posted on 07/01/2022 10:16:43 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: gitmo

Sound advice, for sure.
“for Milwaukee M18” is not the same as “Milwaukee M18”.


3 posted on 07/01/2022 10:18:35 AM PDT by Fireone (When they pry them from my cold, dead, unvaccinated hands.)
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To: gitmo

I don’t charge batteries overnight anymore.


4 posted on 07/01/2022 10:19:58 AM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: gitmo

A friend has bought his wife a Tesla when she retired.
It charges overnight in his garage.
If it ever catches fire, he knows his house is gone. Lithium burns like magnesium when ignited. A fire captain friend said you would have to dump 5000 gallons of water on the battery pack in the first minute of the fire to put it out. By the time the fire truck cleared the station door the whole house would be consumed. He advised my friend to jump in the pool with a towel over his head.


5 posted on 07/01/2022 10:20:57 AM PDT by Waverunner (I'd like to welcome our new overlords, say hello to my little friend)
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To: gitmo
Only use batteries purchased from the device's manufacturer.

You mean Chinese products are defective?

Say it ain't so!

6 posted on 07/01/2022 10:22:47 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (Fauci is a despicable little turd)
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To: Seruzawa

And ChiCom crap.


7 posted on 07/01/2022 10:23:10 AM PDT by mewzilla (We need to repeal RCV wherever it's in use and go back to dumb voting machines.)
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To: Waverunner

But at least they’re saving the planet by purchasing an electric vehicle.

So if we can ever afford an EV, we should charge it in a building not attached to the main house on our plantation?


8 posted on 07/01/2022 10:24:33 AM PDT by petitfour (APPEAL TO HEAVEN)
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To: gitmo

Lithium batteries - the gift that keeps on burning 🔥 🤪


9 posted on 07/01/2022 10:25:14 AM PDT by NWFree (Somebody has to say it)
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To: gitmo

So electric vehicles have yet another downside.


10 posted on 07/01/2022 10:26:01 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The firearms I own today, are the firearms I will die with. How I die will be up to them.)
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To: Waverunner

Do not park a Tesla in a garage. Park at least 10 feet away from any structure. If the structure has combustible siding or facia/roof material, park on street or at least 20 feet from structure.


11 posted on 07/01/2022 10:30:03 AM PDT by D Rider ( )
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To: Waverunner

” Lithium burns like magnesium when ignited.”

EV batteries do not have lithium metal.


12 posted on 07/01/2022 10:33:19 AM PDT by TexasGator (UF)
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To: gitmo
Yes. When I was younger I used to skimp. Now I only buy electrical mains accessories which bear the UL or ETL laboratory certification mark.

13 posted on 07/01/2022 10:44:51 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: Waverunner

Hopefully with water in it....................


14 posted on 07/01/2022 11:03:10 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: gitmo

Chicom li-ion batteries are always fakes,with capacity much less than advertised and often a different chemistry.

To their credit, many do have descriptive brand names, such as UltraFire.


15 posted on 07/01/2022 11:04:42 AM PDT by bigbob (z)
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To: Seruzawa

It was an Amazon fire


16 posted on 07/01/2022 11:07:34 AM PDT by Cold Heart
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To: Waverunner

Our Prius battery caught on fire.

I thought someone had pranked us and spray painted the windows black. I opened the door and smoke billowed out.

I’m thankful no one was in it when it caught on fire, and it was parked outside.

My husband still got another Prius, but I told him it could never be parked inside. He agreed.


17 posted on 07/01/2022 11:08:34 AM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: gitmo

I had to get up late last night to unplug my Drill battery ,D’oh


18 posted on 07/01/2022 11:45:23 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: gitmo
Only use batteries purchased from the device's manufacturer.

The reason is that when you buy the cheap ChiCom knock-offs such as those sold by Amazon, the third-party suppliers save money by omitting the safety circuit that prevents overcharging and over-discharging.


19 posted on 07/01/2022 11:54:28 AM PDT by Ol' Dan Tucker (For 'tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard., -- Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4)
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To: Ol' Dan Tucker

Yikes !!


20 posted on 07/01/2022 11:55:35 AM PDT by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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