One person died in an apartment fire ignited by a faulty e-bike battery in San José last week, authorities said.
Two people were in the apartment around 8:30 a.m. on Friday when the battery in an e-bike began sparking and smoking, starting a fire, the San José Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post.
One of the people got out of the apartment. The other person stayed behind to try to fight the fire, then quickly emerged and collapsed, the Fire Department said. Despite a neighbor’s attempt to resuscitate the person, they were pronounced dead after emergency crews took the person to a local hospital.
The Fire Department did not immediately release the victim’s identity.
The smoke produced by lithium-ion batteries becomes thick and toxic, and potentially “within seconds,” the department wrote, to such a degree that “even trained firefighters do not enter smoke-filled environments without proper protective gear and self-contained breathing apparatus.”
Lithium-ion batteries have become exceedingly common amid a proliferation of chargeable electronics, including smartphones, laptops, headphones, e-cigarettes, vacuums and e-bikes.
The chemicals inside the batteries can release flammable gases when exposed to high temperatures or physical damage, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, potentially leading to a process known as thermal runaway, in which the battery ignites through a self-sustaining chemical reaction that is impossible to stop until it runs out on its own.
Signs that a battery is about to fail include swelling, hissing, popping, an unusual odor and excessive heat, according to a New York Division of Homeland Security battery consumer guide. If a battery ignites, the best thing to do is to immediately leave and call 911.
People are advised to not leave devices charging unattended or while sleeping and to unplug them once they are fully charged. Small devices such as phones and headphones shouldn’t be charged in bed or on a couch, and larger devices such as e-bikes shouldn’t be charged near a front door because, if they ignite, the fire could prevent escape.
