Science Magazine is the official mouthpiece of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). We were previously unaware that they have research laboratories in various parts of the world. One of these was destroyed when an old lithium battery overheated. They lost irreplaceable research records in the fire, as well as expensive equipment, and precious student and lecturer assets.
How Could an Old Lithium Battery Possibly Do That?
Quite easily, it seems. An old battery in a disused laptop spontaneously caught fire in the laboratory in Vienna in the early hours of the morning. An investigation is ongoing into how the central security service overlooked the smoke and fire alarm signals. And why these did not automatically forward to the Viennese fire brigade either?
Nobody had used the laptop for several years, although they stored it in the basement in case they needed its bespoke software in future again. The lithium battery in the disused laptop spontaneously self-ignited for reasons we will probably never know. We have no doubt an insurance company is investigating this feverishly.
We suspect the laboratory staff failed to isolate the battery terminals before they placed the laptop in storage in the basement. We should not, however blame anyone at this stage. Which of us can say, with absolutely certainty we do not have a disused device with a live, connected battery in our home?
Why the Consequential Losses Were So Severe
Only the ceiling-level basement windows were visible from outside the building. Therefore, the fire brigade had little choice but to smash the glass and direct their hoses through it. The laboratory was half-full of foam before they extinguished the raging fire.
A huge amount of effort followed to recover lost data. Two master’s students lost almost everything related to their projects. The insurance finally paid compensation for the loss of equipment, but everybody still ‘took a hit’ according to AAAS. We are left wondering how many old lithium batteries are forgotten in our work places and homes.
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