A fire at a community centre has prompted Richmond Fire-Rescue to issue a festive warning about the storage of batteries used to power imitation candles.
Services at Cambie Community Centre were disrupted for more than a week earlier this month after some lithium-ion batteries — used to operate tea-lights inside artificial candles — caught fire.
Although the fire itself wasn’t substantial, the resultant water damage from it being extinguished meant that parts of the centre had to be closed until Nov. 4.
And with people starting to contemplate digging their Christmas decorations out of the boxes at the back of their garage or in their dusty lofts, fire-rescue is highlighting the relatively unknown dangers lurking behind the small, dime-shaped batteries if they’re not stored correctly or recycled properly.
“Thermal runaway events have contributed to a number of large-scale fires in facilities which contained stored lithium batteries,” said Richmond Fire-Rescue community relations officer Brian MacLeod. “These fires are particularly high-impact, as they involve large volumes of batteries stored in configurations which encourage fire to spread.”
Thermal runaway is a technical term for a rapid uncontrolled increase in temperature.
In lithium-ion cells, thermal runaway can be triggered by internal short circuits, physical damage, or overheating of the cell.
The result of a thermal runaway in a lithium-ion cell is typically a fire or explosion.
Richmond Fire-Rescue asks that people:
• Never store batteries with exposed positive or negative leads;
• Before disposal, always cover the battery in plastic tape to avoid possible short circuits;
• Always recycle batteries properly, do not throw them in the garbage;
• Keep all batteries out of the reach of children, swallowing a battery could be fatal.
MacLeod also encouraged residents to read all safety warnings included in battery operated devices concerning proper use, storage and disposal.
Out-of-school care and preschool programs were cancelled during the disruption at Cambie Community Centre.
