Good Afternoon, Sir Cornett.  Hope you and your family are well.  I would like to chime in on Lithium-Ion Batteries.  I have been meaning to write you about this subject since Easter, as our house, cars, training material, and most everything we had burned down (up?) the night before Easter at approximately 8:20 PM, all because of a short in a battery charger on an electric mobility scooter.  State Farm Insurance hired an investigator to determine the cause, and it was the battery in the scooter which started the fire.  Lithium-ion batteries are used in homes and mines daily, powering portable tools such as drills, impact wrenches, saws, etc.   The takeaway from this is – don’t leave lithium-ion batteries in the charger indefinitely.  Gentle Ben’s Safety Tips are:

  1. Charge batteries outside, if possible.
  2. When the battery is charged, remove it from the charger stand and unplug the charger. If you normally leave the battery in the charger until you need it next time, you’re gambling that it won’t short out and burn the building and contents.
  3. Take photos and videos of every room in your home and office, documenting everything you own. Because I hadn’t done that, I am having to make a contents list from memory for the insurance company.
  4. Install smoke detectors in your attic as well as throughout your home or apartment.  We had several smoke detectors in the house, but the fire was in the attic, and there was no smoke or smoky smell in the house when we evacuated.  The smoke detectors had not yet gone off.  The sound of shotgun shells exploding got my attention, and, upon investigation, I saw flames coming from my garage.  Also, several neighbors responded banging on our front door, hollering for us to get out.

We know God was watching out for us, and we got out to continue His great works.  My next-door neighbor, who recently sold his sand mine, told me that about two (2) minutes after my wife, dogs and I exited our front door, the ceiling fell in.  Had the event occurred later in the evening, we most likely would not have survived.

Please share this with your readers if you think it valuable.

Best Regards.  Ben

Thanks for the share, Gentle Ben!