VIDEO: A total of 50 lithium-ion battery fires have been tracked in Massachusetts over the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, state fire officials said.
A new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify the incidents, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said in a statement on Wednesday.
Last June, an apartment building in Medford caught fire after a lithium-ion battery for a resident’s electronic bike combusted while charging.
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from small devices like e-cigarettes and smartphones to scooters, e-bikes, and electric vehicles.
'Thermal runaway’ is what happens when a lithium-ion battery is damaged or overheated. And it can have devastating consequences.