SOUTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A fire erupted after a lithium battery exploded in a south Fort Myers cabinet business early Friday Morning.
At about 6:37 a.m., South Trail Fire & Rescue and Iona McGregor Fire District responded to a commercial structure fire off Metro Plantation Road.
Upon arriving at work, employees of a cabinet business were unable to enter their building due to thick smoke and high heat.
They immediately recognized the emergency, stayed out of the building, and called 911. Fire crews arrived, entered the warehouse, found the source, quickly extinguished the fire, and began salvaging and overhauling.
After ensuring that the building was ventilated correctly and safe to enter, the Fire Investigators from South Trail Fire & Rescue immediately began investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
After conducting employee interviews and analyzing burnt debris at the origin, the investigation team determined that a lithium-ion battery had caused the fire to start.
The lithium-ion battery was left charging overnight and experienced thermal runaway, overheating, and catching fire.
The temperature inside the warehouse was so high that it caused light bulbs to melt, warped steel beams, and damaged the exterior wall.
“The heat inside that building was measured to be about 1200 degrees at the peak of the fire. It warped a steel beam, it melted the lightbulbs from the ceiling and exit sign,” said Amy Bollen with South Trail Fire.
Preston Toralba works next to the cabinet shop, and said, “I really just came into work and saw there was a lot of ambulance and police surrounding this building over here. I just hope everybody’s okay, I’m glad it didn’t spread to our building to be honest.”
The cabinet shop did catch somewhat of a lucky break. The fire melted a water pipe.
“They did find about a three-quarter inch PVC pipe spraying water on that fire, which was a huge help, it was like a self-made fire sprinkler system,” mentioned Bollen.
The cause of the fire has been determined to be an exploded lithium-ion battery located on a workbench holding a Li/Ion battery charger.
Understanding lithium-ion battery safety rules and how to use and care for them is crucial. Be sure to carefully read all directions and warnings for any devices powered by these batteries, including power tools, cell phones, laptops, e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-cigarettes.
“Don’t charge any lithium-ion battery device on top of things like our beds or our couches, anything that’s flammable,” Bollen said.
You can prevent fires from these batteries by using the charger that came with your phone or device, don’t charge them in the sun, and remember dropping them can damage the battery.
“Never put them in your regular household garbage or dumpsters outside, they need to be brought to a recycling plant,” emphasized Bollen.