Safety Alert: Rechargeable flashlights

There was a fire incident in the bay Saturday evening.

A small rechargeable flashlight like the one pictured above was plugged into the cigarette lighter in one of the fire engines. Overnight, the flashlight overheated, ejected/exploded, and caught the driver’s seat of the cab on fire. This occurred even though the engine key and the main switch on the fire engine were in the “off” position. The fire was contained in the cab and put itself out because all the windows of the cab were rolled up. No injuries and no serious damage to the vehicle or the building occurred.

Due to the hazards involved, please do not use flashlights like the one pictured above in either your government or personal vehicles. Imagine driving on a freeway in heavy traffic and suddenly being showered with hot exploding flashlight components…

While a mini flashlight was the culprit in this case, a number of electrical and rechargeable devices have the same problem. While some cigarette lighters shut off when the engine key is shut off, the cigarette lighters in other vehicles are always “hot”. When you pull in to park for the night, at the office or at home, be sure to disconnect electrical chargers and charging devices from the cigarette lighter outlet in your vehicle.

GPS units and other devices that utilize lithium batteries can also ignite and explode in your vehicle if they are left in a hot vehicle or in the sun. When lithium batteries get too hot, either from charging or sun heat exposure, the batteries ignite and explode…often causing much more severe damage than the mini flashlight caused in the fire engine. The same is true for phone charges and battery rechargers plugged into the wall. Do not leave batteries or your phones charging unattended or overnight at home or at the office.

Click here for more information and for photos of the damage.

Thanks for the share, SS!