Citywide Lithium Ion Battery Fires

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May 10, 2019
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Misinformation about how to extinguish Lithium Ion battery fires.

See article below in SI Advance. 7/9/2023
"Fires at two lithium-ion battery energy storage sites (BESS) in Warwick, N.Y., have been smoldering for more than a week, after officials say a storm-related issue caused the newly installed units to ignite and burn in two separate incidents on June 26.....“Residents in town reported a burning glue-like smell on Wednesday, which is now gone as the fire at the school complex smolders,” News 12 Westchester reported. “Authorities said they had to let it burn out on its own, because water would make it worse. Fire officials said Thursday that the smell was likely the odor of the batteries’ plastic covers burning.”

The two facilities in Warwick NY were built by the same company building these facilities on Staten Island. While the FDNY argues that massive amounts of water are required to extinguish fires in these type of facilities, in Warwick NY the FD seems to believe that too much water makes the situation worse. I would believe the FDNY before I believe the folks in Warwick NY.



Update on toxic chemicals released:
 
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Apr 25, 2023
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From NYC Fire Wire · QUOTE..
So far this year, there have been 93 injuries & six deaths in fires involving lithium-ion batteries as of Oct. 21. That’s more than all of last year, when fires involving lithium-ion batteries caused 79 injuries & four deaths....UNQUOTE.

Hey Mate,
Are these mainly EV batteries??? and if so what is the cause of death? Is it burns or exposure to emmissions?
 
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^^^^^ Mainly bike... scooter & electric vehicle batteries .....actual cause of death not broken down.
 
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In case you were wondering:

It appears that the upswing in e-bike use in the US followed a 2016 change in foreign trade law. This allowed products costing less than $800 to be imported into the country without tariffs. Also, it was accompanied by minimal safety oversight of the e-bikes.

Right now, out of the hundreds of foreign e-bike manufacturers, only 13 certified compliance with the voluntary standard for batteries and electronics in e-bikes- UL 2849.
 
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"It appears that the upswing in e-bike use in the US followed a 2016 change in foreign trade law. This allowed products costing less than $800 to be imported into the country without tariffs."

Likely that a lobby interest got this changed so the client could make money. Duh.
Gotta have "free trade".
 
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If you want a good laugh, read about Teneo Consultants. It recently was sold for $700 million. One of the co-founders (DB) was the guy in the White House who shined Bill Clinton's shoes. He presently is in the process of selling his townhouse on East 65th Street. It was previously owned by some guy named David Rockefeller.
 
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"In The Mouth of the Dragon" - Toxic Fires in the Age of Plastics by Deborah Wallace Ph.D. is an easy read of about 220 pages pointing out the lethal dangers of toxic smoke given off by fires fueled by plastics. The book, while a little dated (1990) lays the ground work through case studies on injured survivors and autopsy reports including the 1975 NY telephone Company fire on how exposure to toxic smoke kills people. Admittedly, not a book on Lithium Ion battery fires it sheds light on what was already being dealt with before the Li battery issue came to the forefront prompting one to take a serious look at the health effects of toxic smoke exposure.
 
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14 people killed due to Lithium Battery fires this year in NYC. What has to be done to wake up the woke politicians who think they’re helping the poor delivery bike drivers.
You get what you vote for ☹️
 
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14 people killed due to Lithium Battery fires this year in NYC. What has to be done to wake up the woke politicians who think they’re helping the poor delivery bike drivers.
You get what you vote for ☹️
They're busy trying to find another way of taking our Second Amendment rights. More interested in so called "gun violence" instead of enforcing laws. Good job. (y)
 
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Hurricane Idalia Aftermath: Saltwater Exposure Causes 'Thermal Runaway' In Flooded Electric Vehicles

by Tyler Durden
Saturday, Sep 02, 2023 - 01:00 PM

Electric vehicles flooded by a storm surge produced by Hurricane Idalia have spontaneously ignited in the Big Bend area. This underscores a lesser-known safety concern for the thousands of Americans who recently purchased EVs and reside in coastal regions vulnerable to flooding.

In the aftermath of the storm, fire officials in Pinellas County, west of Tampa, reported at least two incidents of EVs combusting after lithium-ion batteries were exposed to the saltwater.
"If you own a hybrid or electric vehicle that has come into contact with saltwater due to recent flooding within the last 24 hours, it is crucial to relocate the vehicle from your garage without delay," a Facebook post by Palm Harbor Fire Rescue reads.
"Saltwater exposure can trigger combustion in lithium-ion batteries. If possible, transfer your vehicle to higher ground," the post continued.
It also said, "This includes golf carts and electric scooters. Don't drive these through water. PHFR crews have seen numerous residents out in golf carts and children on scooters riding through water."
Fire officials posted multiple images of a Tesla fire in Dunedin.

Video taken by James McLynas shows another burnt-out Tesla in Pinellas Park.
"Hurricane flooded Tesla Bursts into flames while being towed to the storage lot. Driver picked up the flood damaged Tesla from a storm damaged home and was towing it back when it burst into flames. Driver stopped on a street and quickly off loaded the burning car to save his truck. (that's why there are burnt tow dollies under it). When the fire department arrived, they put it out, but it kept reigniting. After several attempts to put it out, they just let it burn out. This was all that was left," McLynas wrote in his post on YouTube.
The issue with EV battery packs is that saltwater corrodes wiring and battery components, often leading to shorts or exposed wiring. And then thermal runaway ignites the battery -- very few fire departments nationwide are trained in lithium fires.
This problem isn't limited to Tesla EVs. Last year, Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida, causing inland flooding that led to dozens of EV fires (read: here & here).

What's ironic is that government and climate doomsayers say decarbonizing the transportation sector with EVs will save the planet from imminent destruction (remember Greta said the world would end in 2023), but these unproven vehicles are only sparking more headaches.
As for imminent climate doom, well, more than a thousand scientists just signed a declaration dismissing the existence of a climate crisis, read: Over 1,600 Scientists Sign 'No Climate Emergency' Declaration.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hurri ... d-electric
 
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the sister of a fallen 9/11 member living in madiera beach fl
during the hurricane storm surge..had a lawn mower with a lithium ion battery in her shed
it exploded and destroyed her shed and all its contects..thankfully she didnt have it stored in her garage which is part of the house
lessons learned...no matter what size of a L-ion battery..keep it outside always
 
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My first introduction to the lithium battery fire situation came several months ago when this website member, "Capttomo" presented an excellent program on a zoom sponsored by "jbendick".
From cell phones to e-bikes, I had no idea how quickly a fire could spread.
It certainly was a wake up call for me.

I want to THANK YOU "Capttomo" once again.
Unfortunately, as we are seeing here, "you were correct when it comes to this topic with people loosing their homes and their lives, as well as firefighters being hurt".
I wish the leadership in our major cities would spend some time watching your presentation.
But regardless, "it just can't keep going like this".
NYT Article Regarding Lack of Interest in eBike Buy Back Program Sponsored by nonprofit organization.
 
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Jun 27, 2017
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California will not allow new large diesel trucks starting next year and by 2035 essentially all trucks will have "zero emissions". Estimates are that this would require 510,000 EV trucks in the state (there are presently 272).

Forget the fact that electric trucks are three times the price ($400-$500,00) of diesel trucks.

Forget that EV trucks will have to recharge at night when truckers like to be on the road avoiding traffic.

Pay no attention that there are now only fewer than 700 chargers at trucking depots and 157,000 will be needed by the year 2030 (this would require a new charger installation every 22 minutes until then).

But...note these large trucks will require two (2) 8000 pound batteries. Recall that it is no small task to extinguish a burning Tesla. How's that gonna work out with a burning truck with eight tons of batteries?

What insurance company is going to allow an EV truck to park in or near one of their insured buildings (or without indemnification by the truck owner)?

After banning gas stoves, you know this is the next dumb thing coming to New York!
 
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Brothers and sisters check out this month Firehouse Magazine it has a great article about the science behind Lithium Batteries written by a PhD Engineer that my grandson works with at the Underwriter Labatory. Brother and Sisters, NO LAW will solve this problem the only FIX for this problem is and engineering Fix. We need to make these Lithium Batteries safer or find a way to contain any runway reaction to the batteries being defective or over or improperly charged. Find a safe way to contain the heat and fire and solve the problem, that way.
Captain Bob Rainey FDSNY Engine 26 retired.
 
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Now we have another way for E-bikes to cause problems and possible fires.

Meet the modder's (modification) club. You know these guys from high school. They were the ones tinkering around to attach something to the engine block of their car to improve performance.


The modders are fooling with the software or wiring of E-bikes to increase the top speed. power output, or change antitheft devices. One way to do this is altering wires or internal devices. YouTube and Tik Tok have videos that show you how to do this. The other way is an android app that creates a Bluetooth pairing between the phone and scooter to do the same thing.

All of this alters the internal safety devices and UL Solutions standards for the batteries. Seems like this may create a criminal liability for the owner if more than the bike gets burned up.
 
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