Duo of fires embolden message behind ‘Take Charge and Be Safe’ campaign

Two weeks ago, a crew from Cambridge attended a fire in the city involving an e-bike. The building occupant saw the device was smoking as soon as it was plugged in to charge and quickly moved the e-bike to a safe place away from the house. Those quick actions meant that they not only limited the damage to the property, but also escaped any injury.

Last week, fire crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground in Peterborough were called to a house fire in Werrington where an e-scooter battery caught fire after being damaged the day before. Although the ensuing fire blocked the main exit from the property as the battery was placed near the door, the occupants managed to escape unharmed thanks to the advice given by the Fire and Rescue Service’s Control Room operator, who was able to direct them to safety.

Potential risks

Station Commander Gareth Boyd, one of the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s community risk managers, explained: “Both of these incidents highlight the potential risks that lithium-ion batteries can pose and also how it’s vital for people to be alert when charging any kind of device. These episodes highlight how important it is to dispose of such batteries safely.”

Boyd continued: “Most devices are supplied with the correct plugs and cables to ensure they’re charged safely and don’t take more power than needed. There’s also the shut-off function for when the battery is fully charged. Replacement chargers sometimes don’t have these features, though, and can end up overheating the battery, which causes thermal runaway and may lead to explosions. Luckily for the incident in Cambridge, the occupant saw the battery smoking before this could happen.”

Working smoke alarms alerted the residents in the house in Werrington to the battery being on fire. Those residents were asleep at the time of the fire.

Functioning smoke alarms

Further, Boyd observed: “The fire in Cambridge really does show the importance of having working smoke alarms in properties. We recommend having at least one on each floor of a dwelling and that they’re tested regularly. The occupant did the right thing by removing the damaged battery from the e-scooter as there was clearly a fault with it after it was knocked off the counter top the day before. It’s important to put these batteries in a safe place until they can be disposed of and preferably somewhere outside and away from any exits.”

Batteries should be disposed of either at a local household waste recycling centre or at a designated battery bank. They should never be disposed of with household rubbish.

*Details of the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s ‘Take Charge and Be Safe’ campaign can be accessed can online