The Orillia Fire Department is seeing a trend in recent fires caused by lithium batteries.
Most recently, a Forest Avenue home erupted in flames, causing "considerable damage" to the home and minor injuries to the homeowners, who managed to escape.
A week before that, a fire at the 250 Barrie Rd. apartments caused $40,000 in damages, although there were no reported injuries.
Orillia's chief fire prevention officer, Terry Duff, says lithium batteries caused both fires. He says the best way to prevent a lithium battery fire is by using an original equipment manufacturer charger.
"If you have an Apple product, you should be using an Apple charger, not a Dollar Store charger," he cautioned. "There are things in those chargers that cause it to charge too fast."
When a lithium battery device charges too fast, heat builds up, and the separators in between each cell break down, Duff explained.
"When the separator breaks down it causes thermal runaway," Duff said. "It causes the battery to overheat and eventually catch fire and explode."
Duff says lithium batteries can be "in anything" from motor scooters, cars, phones, tablets, and laptops.
"They are even in CPAP machines," he said. "Once a lithium battery is exposed to heat, it's not a matter of if it will catch fire, it's when."
Duff says lithium battery products should never be charged on a bed.
"Make sure it's a hard surface," he said. "Make sure it's not beside your head; put it on a counter top that's hard ... that's not going to have damage."
Duff also warns against lithium battery users overcharging their devices.
"Don't charge it over and over again," he said. "It weakens that cell down in between the protector."
Duff says it's important to not tamper, play, or attempt to repair lithium batteries.
"You can damage it and cause a catastrophe," he said.
Many power tools now also run off lithium batteries, which Duff says can be dangerous if they are exposed to heat.
In 2024, Duff says there have been 74 lithium battery-related fires in New York City. In 2023, there were 268 lithium battery-related fires and 18 fatalities.
"It's everywhere," he said. "Everyone has one strapped to their hip or on their ear."
Duff encourages people to monitor their devices and pay attention to function abilities.
"If a laptop is really hot, that means there is something wrong with the battery," he said. "You could have the wrong charger."
Duff says it's equally as important to take care of lithium battery products.
"Don't abuse the batteries," he said. "Dropping them is damaging. Treat your cell phones nicely because if you drop or bend them, it can be a hazard."
When it comes to electric vehicle and scooter batteries, Duff says you should never use an extension cord to charge them.
"It should be a direct plug-in," he said. "If you live in an apartment building, you shouldn't be plugging them in from the apartment. If you have to bring it into your apartment, make sure it’s away from the exit door."
