The increased number of fires sparked by batteries in the home has raised alarms among fire departments.
The theme for this year's Fire Prevention Week is "Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home".
Many of the electronics we use in and around our homes from smartphones to lawnmowers are powered by lithium-ion batteries.
"It's a growing trend in the fire service everywhere, unfortunately every city is seeing a lot of fires due to lithium-ion batteries," said Sarnia Fire Rescue Public Education Officer Mike Otis. "There can be several reasons, overcharging, not using the proper cables, messing with the batteries. Some people mess with the batteries trying to add extra power to their scooters or different things. Anything like that is very dangerous."
He said if not used correctly or damaged, lithium batteries can overheat and start a fire or even explode.
"Lithium-ion battery fires are tough because they go to what's called thermal runaway," he said. "They have so much stored energy that they're very hard to battle and they don't develop slowly, it's more of an all-out explosion, so they're quite violent fires."
Otis said there are simple rules to follow to avoid sparking a fire, such as unplugging and removing the battery when it's fully charged.
We're also being reminded not to throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or recycling bins because they could catch fire.
As part of Fire Prevention Week, there's an open house on Wednesday, October 8 at the East Street Fire Hall from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
At the fire hall in Point Edward, there's an open house on Monday, October 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more fire safety tips, visit the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website.
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
