Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Deputy Commissioner Trent Curtin said there is a “concerning” trend in a growing number of fires in lithium-ion battery-powered devices like e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards.
“As we head into the Christmas period we want to make sure everyone is aware of the risk of not buying good quality products, we want to make sure everyone knows they need to charge them correctly and store them correctly,” he said.
Curtin said two weeks ago in northern NSW a little girl woke up to the sound of crackling as her e-skateboard caught alight while charging.
The device created smoke and flames in her bedroom and Curtin said this is one example of the dangers of these batteries.
“The girl woke up early enough to hear the skateboard crackling and was able to get out quickly,” he said.
“The young girl received serious smoke inhalation and was rushed to hospital. It could have been much worse.”
Curtin said there had been 180 fires in NSW alone caused by lithium-ion batteries.
“We want to raise awareness with the community to make sure people are aware of the risks of overcharging or having damaged the lithium-ion battery devices in their home,” Curtin said.
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“I’m really concerned we’ll see a death in NSW.”
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said the number of lithium-ion battery fires has increased 10-fold in the last 12 months, from 16 to 180.
“It is really important we heed the warnings and make sensible purchasing decisions,” she said.
Curtin urged NSW residents not to try and extinguish a lithium-ion battery fire themselves but to get out and call triple zero.
He said the fires are difficult to fight as it takes a “copious amount of water”.
“In some cases, firefighters have had to put battery packs in buckets of water for hours or days to extinguish them,” he said.
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