The chief of a volunteer fire department near Qualicum Beach is stressing the importance of smoke alarms and home fire extinguishers after “a very close call” last weekend when a lithium battery in his house self-detonated and exploded.
Without smoke alarms and quick action to fight the fire, “we would have lost our home or at best made it unliveable,” Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Nick Acciavatti said in a Facebook post.
Acciavatti said the lithium battery was purchased last week for an airsoft gun, and had been removed from the gun after its charge ran out.
The battery self-detonated 15 minutes later, he said.
“The battery was NOT charging and NOT plugged into anything,” Acciavatti said. “The subsequent fire caught some clothes on fire in the closet, and if it went unnoticed it would have extended further into the closet and undoubtedly caught the bedroom on fire.”
He said it was lucky someone was home at the time to prevent serious damage.
“This is a good reminder to keep a watchful eye on lithium batteries, don’t leave them plugged beyond their charge capacity and routinely check them for damage,” Acciavatti said.
The fire chief suspects the battery might have had a manufacturing defect, and said he will be contacting the manufacturer.
Acciavatti said in future, he plans to store lithium batteries like the one that caught fire in a fire-safe container that’s outside the house.
He added that smoke alarms should be checked regularly and should not be more than 10 years old.
Dashwood is a largely residential oceanfront community just north of Qualicum Beach.
Its fire department covers an area of about 130 square kilometres with an estimated population of 3,700.
