A commonly used household product, likely in your home right now, can have dangerous consequences if not used properly, a fact highlighted by scenes of explosions, fires and injuries nationwide.
Lithium-ion batteries are in so many products these days, from portable vacuums and power tools, to e-bikes, scooters and drones, because they are extremely effective at charging.
Fire safety experts are especially concerned about third-party replacement batteries sold online for a variety of products that have not gone through testing standards implemented by a device’s original manufacturer.
Pete Legan of Hinsdale told NBC 5 Responds he learned the hard way about the dangers behind lithium-ion batteries this past November.
The lesson came while Legan and his wife were out of town, on vacation, when they woke to several texts and phone calls they had missed overnight.
“Our daughter called us and said our house caught fire last night,” Legan recounted.
Legan’s home security system had detected movement in his Hinsdale home, now thought to be smoke and fire, and automatically put a call out to 911.
When a police officer drove by to check out the house, they found his second floor engulfed. Legan said the fire damaged nearly 80% of his home.
Investigators told Legan the fire’s point-of-origin was in his laundry room, where his portable vacuum was left charging on the wall while the couple was out of town.
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The Hinsdale Fire Department told NBC 5 the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
But months before the fire, Legan said he had purchased a third-party replacement battery for his vacuum off of Amazon, made by a company called Powerextra.
Coincidentally, three days after the fire, Legan received a message over Amazon from the seller, Powerextra, warning him that the company’s “quality inspection department [had] tested” the batch of batteries Legan had ordered from and “noticed that some batteries have a certain probability” of overheating.
The company offered Legan a full refund or that it would mail him a new set of batteries to replace the original order.
More than a week later, Legan received a letter in the mail from Powerextra, notifying him that the batteries he ordered had been recalled.
The specific battery Legan ordered is no longer for sale on Amazon, but Legan worries for others out there who may be unaware of the risks behind lithium-ion batteries.
“This technology is fairly new that I think people are really unaware of the dangers behind them,” Legan said. “We all grew up with batteries. Batteries can power flashlights, radios, but this is completely different. These things can be deadly and have been deadly.”
While acknowledging their benefits, Adam Barowy with the Fire Safety Research Institute believes consumers need to be educated.
“The failure rate is not quite an epidemic, but it is of concern,” Barowy said. “We need to make sure we have safety standards for reducing the risk for different types of products.”
What concerns experts like Barowy is the chance of “thermal runaway” with these kinds of batteries.
When batteries are left charging for extended periods of time, have dents, punctures, or any kinds of defect when manufactured, they are at risk of experiencing thermal runaway.
Barowy explains, “[Thermal runaway] is basically a chemical reaction that can heat up the battery faster than it can give off that heat that ultimately results in fire.”
NBC New York recently examined the “Anatomy of a Lithium-Ion Battery Fire” by putting some battery packs and ‘thermal runaway’ to the test in a controlled lab setting. To watch that story, click here or watch below.
Adding to fire safety experts’ concerns is the flood of third-party replacement batteries for a variety of products sold online, which may have not gone through the rigorous testing requirements necessary to render them safe.
“It may be that that battery has not been evaluated to that same standard that the original product went through,” Barowy said.
Legan’s incident with a Powerextra battery purchased off of Amazon may not be isolated.
A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey against Amazon and Powerextra centers on a case where a Powerextra battery allegedly caused serious harm.
The lawsuit, filed by husband and wife Leon and Cynthia Santore out of New Jersey, states the couple purchased a Powerextra battery off of Amazon for a power tool in November 2020.
But on the day it arrived in the mail, “the battery exploded,” the lawsuit states and “the resulting explosion severely and permanently injured,” Leon Santore.
The case is now pending in federal court, with a status hearing scheduled in June.
Court filings show Amazon has denied all allegations of negligence, arguing it is not liable for the millions of third-party products sold on its platform.
A spokesperson for Amazon declined to answer NBC 5’s questions about Powerextra and its policies surrounding third-party batteries it sells.
In the New Jersey case, Amazon has since filed a cross-claim against Powerextra, but attorneys have been unable to reach anyone at Powerextra.
Powerextra did not respond to NBC 5’s calls, emails and even certified letters requesting comment for this report.
In general, the Fire Safety Research Institute says consumers need to know the risks and what not to do with lithium-ion batteries, especially when it comes to prolonged charging.
“Don’t charge the batteries unattended,” Barowy said. “Once [the batteries] indicate they have a full charge, you want to take them off the charger. That can prevent overcharging.”
The Fire Safety Research Institute adds that consumers should always use the manufacturer’s charger with these batteries, and if a battery is damaged or dropped, stop using it.
Legan is thankful he and his wife were not home at the time of the fire, and are now in the process of rebuilding their life. He hopes his story will bring that message of lithium-ion caution home for anyone who hears it.
“I know the convenience of having these is really great, but we never thought this can happen to us and it can happen to you too,” Legan said.
