Lithium-ion batteries are in many everyday products, including e-scooters, phones, and vapes.
Fire and Emergency community education manager Tom Ronaldson said if not looked after or dealt with properly, lithium-ion batteries could cause damage by going into a process called thermal runway.
“The battery gets really, really hot, and the fire can spread incredibly fast.
“So, if someone was to experience a battery that was making a strange sound or overheating, or on fire, or emitting smoke, we recommend that you evacuate immediately and call 111,” Ronaldson said.
Ronaldson advised consumers to buy quality products that were from reputable suppliers.
“We recommend that people buy any products that have lithium-ion batteries from trusted retailers and when they’re buying replacement batteries for products making sure that they are getting the batteries from the manufacturer and not from a second-hand dealer.
“We want to make sure that the batteries are fit for purpose for that device and not potentially going to get damaged from having that greater wattage or power output,” Ronaldson said.
Although the batteries themselves were safe, he said, it was up to buyers to use the correct cords and power bank to prevent any fires because of the high voltage the product may have.
He advised people to also replace damaged or dropped products, especially if the battery became hot or if users noticed the power bank had swollen.
“We’ve seen a number of fires [in] rubbish trucks, so we recommend that people find the battery disposal or battery recycling centres to dispose of batteries rather than just throwing them in the rubbish bin,” Ronaldson said.
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