It can take a while to coax a campfire into life when the wood is damp. The temperature increases slowly until the flames start flickering, and then burst into life. Used lithium-ion battery fires are on the increase. It could just be a matter of time before one leads to a disaster. We write this post as an appeal to prevent this happening.
Used Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Breaking Out in UK
The National Fire Chief Council of the United Kingdom has already warned, “fires involving lithium-ion batteries are a disaster waiting to happen”. Cambridgeshire is one of the UK’s smallest counties, with a population of around 850,000.
Yet, despite the apparent peace in this green place, Cambridgeshire firefighters have extinguished thirty-three ‘battery-related fires’ since January 2023. Every one of these put the dedicated officials at risk of injury, and wasted public funds. We say ‘wasted’ because common sense should prevent used lithium-ion battery fires happening.
Ten of those thirty-three fires started in garbage trucks transporting trash. The heat would have been sufficiently intense to damage electric wires and hydraulic equipment. No wonder authorities keep warning residents not to bin batteries or electrical gadgets.
Authorities Fight Back to Stop Wasting Public Money
Seven bin trucks suffered this damage in Cambridgeshire in the first eight months of 2024. Used lithium-ion battery fires have also occurred at a number of recycling sites. The cost of the damage is mounting, although the incident in South Korea has shown the potential threat from faulty electric car batteries.
Rob Olivier is head of community fire safety at Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service. He explained to BBC News how batteries are an increasing fire hazard in bin trucks. “A damaged battery can lead to ignition of the highly reactive lithium, leading to a fire starting,” he added.
Recent research has revealed a record of over 1,200 battery fires in the United Kingdom over the past twelve months. Avoiding fires in garbage is dead simple, if we seal spent batteries in transparent plastic bags, and place them on top of our other trash. You and we can prevent these fires happening. Let’s do it now.
More Information
Spent Batteries Igniting Garbage Trucks
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires More Frequent
