Fire department urges caution after lithium ion battery starts fire at London school

The London Fire Department is warning the public of the dangers of lithium ion batteries after a student's backpack caught fire at Northridge Public School.

Fire crews responded to a call at the northeast London elementary school around midday on Feb. 2, and arrived to find there had been a fire on the second floor.

The cause had been a damaged portable phone charger, which a student had placed unattended in a backpack, according to Platoon Chief Jamie Britton.

"We're trying to put that safety message out there that if you do have a lithium battery, to not charge them in a backpack or leave them charging unattended," Britton said. "We do have instances of this quite often."

Britton said the battery caused a two-foot flame to come off the student's backpack, and the school's vice principal was able to put it out with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived.

No one was injured, but students were evacuated until crews confirmed the fire was out and the smoke was contained to the second floor of the building, he said.

"It's a good thing it was quickly noticed by the teacher, and it was a very quick evacuation by the staff and students."

Lithium ion batteries have become commonplace in households. They're found in many rechargeable items, including phones, laptops, tablets, and portable chargers. They're also used in e-bikes and electric vehicles.

They become dangerous when they get damaged, overcharged or overheated and go into "thermal runaway," Britton said, a self-sustaining chain reaction in which the heat generated by the battery exceeds dissipation, leading to a fire that is difficult to extinguish.

Lithium ion batteries were blamed for an aggressive fire in December at a hobby shop in Norfolk County that was housing e-bikes and other battery-powered equipment. Twenty-five firefighters from four different stations were called to the scene to fight the blaze.

"It's just the simple fact that they do generate so much heat," Britton said. "It's just one of those things that we're going to have to keep a very close eye on while they're being charged."

If a battery has been impacted by a fall or through overcharging, Britton recommends not keeping it inside the home, putting it in a backback or leaving it anywhere unattended.

Even with a properly functioning battery, take care not to leave it charging on soft surfaces, such as a bed, couch or any other flammable surface, he added.

When getting rid of old or damaged batteries, refrain from putting them in the garbage, and instead dispose of them at one of London's four EnviroDepots, or community drop-off containers.