A fire in a tractor trailer carrying lithium-ion batteries on Thursday spurred authorities to evacuate an area near downtown Columbus, Ohio.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, firefighters responded around 6 a.m. on April 19, 2024, to the 1600 block of Mckinley Avenue. The trailer, which contained lithium-ion batteries, was seen smoking.
Columbus Division of Fire’s hazmat team worked with other agencies to assess the situation, with concerns about a possible explosion prompting officials to evacuate a one-mile area. The evacuation order was subsequently lifted around 10 a.m., the report said.
Fire departments around the country are contending with increasing fire problems associated with lithium-ion batteries. A report this week from the Boston Herald noted that the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System recorded an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year over the period from 2019 to 2023.
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The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has been espeically vocal about the fire risks associated with damaged or unstable batteries, and in fact the FDNY just recently participated in a special task force that led to the arrest of a Brooklyn man for failing to comply with a fire commissioner’s order related to improper storage of more than five lithium-ion batteries at an electric bike shop. In this instance, FDNY investigators found 15 lithium-ion batteries and multiple e-bikes without proper certification for sale throughout the store, and little to no compliance with regard to previous violations, Commissioner Laura Laura Kavanagh said. In the week from April 13-14, the FDNY said that there were five fires involving lithium-ion batteries in New York City, with 10 total battery-caused fires.
