House fire involving lithium ion batteries purchased from an overseas supplier

Energy type:

Electricity

Event summary:

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) notified WorkSafe Energy Safety of a garage fire involving lithium ion batteries purchased from an overseas supplier.

Accident ID:

180325-05

Accident date:

24 March 2018

Site:

Domestic

Environment:

Building

Voltage:

Equipment:

Lithium ion battery

Accident type:

Fire

Casualty:

Non-fatality

Injury:

No injury

Property damage level:

Extended to multiple rooms

Outcome of investigation:

The batteries purchased online were a replacement, resulting in the homeowner using a charger intended for batteries with different specifications. Lithium batteries are extremely volatile and should only be used with the correct charger intended for its specifications.

Because the batteries were purchased overseas (outside of NZ jurisdiction) WorkSafe Energy Safety was unable to conduct an audit on the supplier. The case was closed on that basis.