Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) is urging residents not to overcharge lithium-ion batteries after a fire recently destroyed two homes in Richmond.
Emergency crews responded to multiple reports of a house engulfed in flames on Pelham Crescent just before 2 p.m. on Feb. 17.
Before first responders arrived at the scene, the homeowner heard a popping sound coming from their garage, according to OFS spokesperson Nick DeFazio.
“They opened the garage’s main door and saw smoke and flames along the wall,” he said.
Firefighters got the blaze under control by about 3:20 p.m., but not before it spread to a neighbouring home, displacing those residents as well.
OFS later determined the fire had been sparked by a lithium-ion drill battery that had been charging atop a fridge in the garage.
It was at least the second fire in Ottawa caused by this kind of battery this year. The first happened in January when a curious canine chewed through a ski glove that was heated by the same kind of battery.
Those incidents prompted OFS to issue a safety warning as these battery fires become a growing concern.
Batteries ‘power everything’
OFS fire prevention officer Leanne Labbee says there have been at least 60 fires involving lithium-ion batteries in Ottawa since 2022.
“Lithuim-ion batteries power everything today,” she said. “They are the most common rechargeable battery you will find in your home.”
To prove that point, Labbee collected all the items in her home powered by lithium-ion batteries, and in just 15 minutes had filled a basket with laptops, electric toothbrushes — even salt and pepper shakers.
Although the batteries can be found everywhere, their explosive contents require consumers to handle them with care.
OFS warns that the batteries should be unplugged as soon as they’re fully charged, as overcharging can quickly lead to explosion. A battery can be on the verge of catching fire when it starts to hiss, expand or produce an unusual odor.
Ontario’s fire marshal said on social media Friday that batteries shouldn’t be charged below freezing, such as in a garage, because it can cause damage.
It’s like a trick birthday candle. When you blow it out, it restarts.– Leanne Labbee, Ottawa Fire Services
A lithium-ion battery fire produces 10 times more carbon monoxide than a fire fuelled by an accelerant such as gasoline, according to Labbee.
Due to the chemicals within the battery, Labbee says those fires are also harder to extinguish with water.
“It just needs to burn through all its cells and put itself out,” she said. “It’s like a trick birthday candle. When you blow it out, it restarts.”
A surge in lithium-ion battery use
Unlike traditional alkaline batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a higher voltage which makes them more effective. However, the density of the energy packed into the batteries also makes them more susceptible to explosion.
Yaser Abu-Lebdeh, who leads the battery materials innovation team at National Research Council Canada, says the batteries are “prone to heat up” when they are tampered with or overcharged.
“This will cause the cells to open up and release toxic gasses,” he said. “It’s very hard to control, and the batteries will catch fire and explode.”
Abu-Lebdeh says this “thermal runway” creates a self-fuelling chain reaction that rapidly heats up by hundreds of degrees.
While there is no safer version of lithium-ion batteries on the market yet, Abu-Lebdeh says alternatives with less flammable components are in development.
“There is always a new breakthrough on any given week,” he said. “It is very close to commercialization and that’s all I can say.”
