The State Fire Marshal’s workplace has created a software to higher monitor the variety of fires involving lithium-ion batteries, as electrical automobiles, e-bikes and scooters catch ablaze.
Investigators assigned to the workplace are actually gathering a bunch of knowledge when responding to fires involving lithium-ion batteries, resembling make and mannequin of the gadget, buy historical past, and whether or not it was charging on the time of the blaze.
Such fires are on the rise nationwide, officers say, significantly in New York City, as an increasing number of folks search gadgets powered by lithium-ion batteries. Smaller units embrace e-cigarettes and smartphones.
“Across the country, and most visibly in New York City, fires caused by or involving lithium-ion batteries are on the rise, and often with deadly consequences,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine stated in an announcement Tuesday. “One of the best challenges in addressing the rise in these fires is quantifying them.
The variety of fires sparked by batteries in Massachusetts greater than doubled between 2019 and 2022, from 5 to 12 final 12 months. It is unclear what number of there have been to date this 12 months, as knowledge is available in “over many months,” stated Jake Wark, spokesman for DFS.
Those numbers, nonetheless, embrace all varieties of batteries, however DFS officers imagine Li-ion batteries comprise a big quantity, Wark stated.
One problem in figuring out the precise quantity of fires sparked by Li-ion batteries is that departments throughout the state report knowledge utilizing the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System. That system “mirrors” the nationwide system and doesn’t distinguish between numerous varieties.
“Fires may also be coded by the type of device rather than the type of battery, missing the factor that makes lithium-ion battery fires particularly dangerous,” in keeping with officers.
DFS has despatched a guidelines to each fireplace chief within the state that native departments will use to gather info when responding to incidents involving Li-ion batteries of their cities and cities. A majority of investigations don’t obtain state help.
Medford firefighters, within the spring, responded to a pair of blazes powered by Li-ion batteries being charged for e-scooters. The fires, on April 30 and June 3, displaced 12 residents between the 2 properties, sending three to the hospital.
In January, Wakefield firefighters responded to a single-car crash and electrical car fireplace on Interstate 95. As responders ready to take away the car from the scene, a guardrail pierced its undercarriage, inflicting the lithium-ion batteries to enter a thermal runaway, with flames absolutely engulfing the automotive.
“We believe these batteries are underreported as a factor in significant fires,” Davine stated. “More comprehensive data will help the fire service gauge the true scope of the issue and help guide future regulations and legislation.”
New York City has made nationwide headlines, with the variety of incidents there, hovering nicely over 200, injuring greater than 100 and killing 14. The newest fireplace got here early Tuesday, leaving 5 folks in Brooklyn with accidents.
After a sequence of fires involving defective e-bike batteries together with a blaze that claimed 4 lives in June, New York City officers introduced that they’re receiving a $25 million emergency grant from the federal authorities to fund scores of charging stations citywide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Source: www.bostonherald.com”