Battery Failure Leads to Garage Fire in Porter

PORTER, TX -- A homeowner in the Oakhurst subdivision used his battery powered lawn mower recently and then stored it in his garage. The owner had purchased two "off brand" replacement batteries less than a year ago, one of which had already failed. The other replacement battery was in the mower at the time of the fire and was reportedly not being charged.

On Friday March 21st , the owner left the house for less than an hour. When he came home he saw soot stains coming from the seams around the main garage door. He used the remote to open the door and found the garage filled with heat and smoke.

Fire crews were on scene within minutes and removed the smoldering mower to the sidewalk outside. Several of the internal battery cells experienced catastrophic failure, rupturing the container and igniting the lithium cores.

Fortunately, the fire was mostly self-contained to the mower, but items in close proximity suffered radiant heat damage. Everything in the garage suffered heat, smoke and soot damage.

Here are some quick tips to help limit the risk of battery fires;
• Purchase batteries from the manufacturer or ones that are only listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and labeled accordingly.
• Stop charging a battery once it is full.
• Use charging equipment that is only compatible with your device.
• To be safe, use only the charging equipment that is supplied with your device.
• Stop using your device if the battery shows signs of damage, such as an unusual odor, excessive heat, popping sounds, swelling, or change in color.
•Have all repairs performed by a qualified professional.

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