Yeah, people need to take precautions because the battery fire fumes are dangerous in confined spaces and should fire ensue the flames are rocket like.
FRNSW’s acting superintendent, Mat Sigmund, said that while it was likely the battery that caused the fire was large, coming from a bike or other larger appliance, this did not rule out fires of this magnitude occurring from the explosion of smaller batteries.
He said that while lithium-ion batteries bought from reputable suppliers were still considered safe, people needed to use caution around them. This included having clear emergency plans, not constantly charging electronic devices, and only charging them in areas where people are alert, in the event of a fire.
Another warning. Bad electrical connections can kill if the joint becomes high resistance turning electrical energy into heat. I'm reminded of the bad crimp connector in the Hotpoint fridge freezer that was in flat 16 of the Grenfell Tower building in the UK. Seventy people died at the scene, and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured.
So lithium batteries have joined faulty electrical appliances, faulty lights, faulty electrical cable eaten by vermin, bad switches, candles, leaking gas and other things as causes of house fires.
