Battery blazes spark multiple call outs for Hampshire crews
Photo from New Forest District Council
Two separate blazes were sparked this morning from batteries incorrectly disposed of in household waste.
On-call firefighters from Beaulieu and Hardley were alerted to a fire within a bin lorry on the High Street in Beaulieu shortly before 8am.
The refuse was removed from the vehicle, allowing the crews to extinguish the fire which had sparked from the battery of an electrical device.
Photo from New Forest District Council
After dampening down the contents firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to check the remainder of the rubbish to ensure the fire hadn’t spread.
Across the county in Portsmouth, less than an hour later, Cosham crews were called to a waste depot after a lithium-ion battery caught alight, with the resulting fire spreading across a five-tonne pile of household recycling.
The bin crew quickly returned to the depot where they emptied the pile out onto the yard, before firefighters were able to remove the battery, which was in thermal runaway, and submerge it in water.
As you can see in video (below) the damaged battery continues to react violently after water has been applied, giving off toxic fumes.
In 2022 there were more than 700 fires in waste lorries or at recycling centres across the UK, caused by damaged batteries which had been carelessly discarded.
HIWFRS Assistant Director for Community Safety, Jason Avery said:
“When disposing of batteries we’d ask that you follow the advice on your local council’s website and check online to find your nearest dedicated battery and electrical recycling points.”
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), has teamed up with Material Focus to produce a new safety video “Stop Battery Fires” that emphasises the dangers of throwing away batteries, and the importance of never binning and always recycling batteries and electricals containing batteries. [1]
You can find advice on how and where to dispose of batteries on your local council’s website, or you can search Recycle Your Electricals online and enter your postcode to find your nearest dedicated battery and electrical recycling points.
References
- ^ new safety video “Stop Battery Fires” (youtu.be)