Batteries from Computers Start More Fires Than First Thought

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(TNS) – A new tool tracking fires caused by lithium-ion batteries helped state fire officials identify 50 incidents where the batteries played a role in sparking the fire, more than double the annual average detected by a national system, the Department of Fire Services announced Wednesday morning.

Lithium-ion batteries are found in many common household items, including phones, computers, and electric vehicles, according to the department. Of the 50 incidents investigators identified, nine involved “micro-mobility devices” such as e-bikes, eight involved cell phones or tablets, another eight were sparked by laptops, and six involved power tools. Fires were reported in 38 Massachusetts communities, the department said.

The device’s charging status was tracked in 41 of the 50 incidents, and investigators found in approximately 23 cases the device was not charging at the time of the fire, according to the statement.

Fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries are more challenging to put out with water and fire extinguishers than normal fires, according to fire officials.

“We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested,” said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine in the statement. “In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we’ve seen in prior years.”

The department launched its “Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist” in October, and it was immediately put to use by State Police, Jake Wark, a department spokesman, wrote in a statement. Developed by the department, fire investigators can use the checklist to gather “basic information” about fires involving the batteries, which is then entered into a database.

Before the checklist, state fire officials relied on battery fire data submitted to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System, a state tool that “mirrors and feeds into” a national system. The national system does not “specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved” and did not require the sort of detailed information Massachusetts officials were looking for.

Davine said the tool’s success is driven by its use.

“Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster,” said Davine.

Between 2019 and 2023, about 19 lithium-ion battery fires were reported to the state each year. That number has more than doubled since the implementation of the new tool, and Davine theorized that the increase could be driven by the growing number of devices powered by the batteries. The increase could also be a result of a difference in reporting, where a fire that started elsewhere but caused one of the batteries to spark may not have previously been categorized as a battery fire, according to the department.

Davine offered a number of safety tips for preventing the fires, encouraging residents to be sure they have working smoke alarms, use only original batteries and charging equipment, and charge only one battery or device at a time.

Lithium-ion batteries should be recycled, not thrown away, state fire officials said.