PASSAIC — Increasingly, lithium-ion battery fires are becoming a nightmare for firefighters as their use proliferates in cellphones, e-vehicles, and lawn care and other tools.
Extinguishing these very hot fires, Passaic firefighters said, can be difficult, requiring large amounts of time and water. Preventing them is key to saving lives and property.
The city's Fire Department, at the behest of its mayor, added lithium-ion battery fires to its annual fire prevention open house on Wednesday.
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"There are more and more batteries in use — bikes, scooters, phones," Deputy Chief Bob Munier said. "These batteries store a large amount of energy in a small amount of space."
More batteries mean more fires. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says there are about 5,000 fires each year related to lithium-ion batteries.
In communities similar to the city of Passaic where people tend to bring e-bikes and electric scooters inside their homes and apartments, overheated batteries can spark a fire and quickly spread.
"Years ago it was 'don't play with matches,'" Munier said. "Now it's 'don't charge your cellphone on the bed.'"
Mayor Hector Lora has asked the Fire Department to track these fires and caution the public about the batteries' potential to start fires.
The Fire Department has six documented lithium-ion battery fires in 2024. The incidents include two that involved significant building damage. Another was suppressed by a working fire sprinkler system. Another involved overcharging of a battery-powered electric scooter and bike, the mayor said.
There may have been other incidents, but it is difficult to make an exact determination due to the damage sustained, fire officials said.
Nationally, fire officials agree that lithium-ion battery fires are more likely to occur in urban areas, where they can easily spread through multi-occupancy buildings. In 2023, New York City reported 18 fatalities from lithium-ion battery explosions.
Lora also encouraged the department to add the lithium-ion component to its fire prevention talks. One way to raise awareness is to get information out to families via their school-age kids.
On Wednesday morning the department's Eastside fire headquarters hosted 800 to 1,000 grade school students who trooped through the department's fire prevention live demonstrations, involving extrication tools, a smoke house, fire suppression via sprinklers, and e-vehicles.
School 25 third grade teacher Stephanie Chavez, who has attended a few Fire Department talks, said the presentation resonates with her students, who in turn may take home what they learn.
Concerning e-bikes, scooters and cellphones, students were encouraged to pay attention to how they are stored and charged in their homes. Overcharging or using the wrong types of cords for recharging can cause fires, the children were told.
Don't charge batteries next to or on top of items that can catch fire, firefighters told students. These batteries are particularly vulnerable to overheating if they are charged in conditions that are too cold or hot. Ideally, charging occurs at room temperature.
Munier said although city firefighters have yet to tackle a car-size lithium-ion fire, more and more of them are training on how to fight one. While a non-electric car fire might take 750 gallons of water to extinguish, EVs can require 10,000 to 20,000 gallons and take about four hours to douse, he said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic firefighters teach students to beware of fires from e-bikes, scooters, phones
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