MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
A lithium battery charging pack is being blamed for a small fire discovered inside a closed commercial business in Lyons.
According to the Lyons Fire Department, firefighters responded late Sunday evening after a cleaning crew reported smelling smoke inside the business.
Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to search for the source of the odor. Crews initially believed the smell was electrical in nature and located a dim fluorescent light fixture that was registering hotter than normal. The fixture was disconnected.
Early Monday morning, maintenance staff discovered light ash underneath a desk. Further investigation found a lithium battery charging pack inside a desk drawer that had experienced thermal runaway.
Fire officials said the battery ignited inside the drawer and apparently self-extinguished at some point during the weekend.
No injuries were reported, and the fire department did not report significant damage to the business.
Thermal runaway can occur when a lithium-ion battery rapidly generates heat, potentially resulting in a fire.
The Lyons Fire Department is using the incident as a reminder for residents and businesses to inspect lithium-ion batteries and dispose of damaged or defective batteries properly.
Fire officials noted lithium-ion batteries are increasingly common in electronics and other rechargeable devices and can pose a fire hazard when damaged, defective or improperly handled.