Boise Fire Demonstrates Battery Fires After Truck Blazes
Republic Services reported four to six truck fires in the past year, including some total losses.
By Justin Brooks ·
Residents who toss rechargeable lithium-ion batteries into the trash are contributing to fires inside garbage trucks and at the landfill, Boise Fire and Republic Services said Tuesday. Boise Fire held a demonstration to show how quickly a damaged battery can ignite. "It doesn't take a long time from the moment it gets damaged to the point where it goes into thermal runaway," said Roy Mitchell, Boise Fire Division Chief of Special Operations.
Rachele Klein of Republic Services said the company has logged four to six truck fires in the last year, with a couple of those vehicles lost entirely. "Every time there's a risk to the community," Klein said. Mitchell said a single scooter or e-bike battery pack can hold 30 or 40 cells, while an electric vehicle battery can carry as many as 7,000.
The Tuesday demonstration followed that report. Mitchell described what happens when a truck's compactor crushes a battery: "If there's a lithium-ion battery in it and it gets destroyed, this is exactly what you would see inside the garbage can." Regular non-rechargeable alkaline batteries, including 9-volts and AAs, can go in the trash.
Rechargeable batteries from vapes, power tools and large electronics must be dropped at a household hazardous waste site or the Ada County Landfill.
Source: KIVI-TV · original report published
