Fiery demonstrations highlight need for proper battery disposal, maintenance

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md. - Fire officials in the DMV are sounding the alarm on the potential dangers of rechargeable batteries when they are disposed of improperly or are damaged.

In a live demonstration using an e-bike Thursday, fire crews highlighted what could happen when a battery is overcharged. 

Fire officials from Arlington, Virginia, and D.C attended the fiery demonstration in Montgomery Village.

Ivan Browning is a Hazardous Materials Battalion Chief with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, who says one of the biggest hazards fire crews face is rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology.

"You see it in phones, laptops, vehicles, certain types of e-bikes and hoverboards. All the way up to energy storage systems, which you see in big boxes at facilities and you even see them in residential and commercial structures now. They’re everywhere," Chief Browning said.

When the batteries become damaged – whether it’s a mechanical issue or thermal damage, or due to an improper battery charger – it could overcharge that piece of equipment and cause "thermal runaway" before catching fire, Browning said.

"They are very well insulated. There’s no telling really, until it happens so we have seen instances where they just pop. They will fill an area with a white vapor cloud. Or they’ll just immediately catch fire. Next thing you know, people are scrambling to get it out," he said. "You can’t stop it. We can try to slow it down and keep them cool with our fire water, but a lot of times when that happens, it’s so far advanced by the time the fire department gets there that we are dealing with a structure fire." 

In December 2023, a home on Alexander Manor Drive in the Sandy Spring area caught on fire after batteries were left charging in a garage. 

Another recent example includes a February 2024 incident when a lithium battery in an electric scooter was blamed for starting a fire inside an apartment building, critically injuring one person and leaving 23 people displaced. 

John Johnson, program manager with the D.C. Department of Public Works’ Office of Waste Diversion, said another issue is the improper disposal of batteries.

"That’s actually against the law to throw away batteries in D.C. We encourage people through programs like the Call To Recycle and others. We also do special waste drop off events that we invite the public to be able to drop off hazardous waste and batteries, and other kinds of things that we don’t want to end up in the trash," Johnson said.

When it comes to e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric vehicles, the National Fire Protection Association reports the safest place to charge these devices is outdoors, away from any structure or enclosure, and not in direct sunlight.