Latest news with #batteryfire
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Batteries behind rise in garbage truck fires on the Gold Coast
Flaming piles of garbage are being dumped on Gold Coast streets as the city's rubbish trucks catch fire because of batteries thrown in household waste. Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) says it has recorded seven truck fires in May, the worst month on record for the city's garbage collectors. Each was sparked by incorrectly disposed batteries, which forced trucks to dump entire loads to ensure the fire did not consume the whole vehicle. Queensland Fire Department Superintendent Mark Halverson said all batteries, even the dead AAAs from the TV remote, were capable of starting fires if they were crushed or compacted in garbage collection trucks. "Even if a battery appears to be flat, there's almost always some amount of energy that remains within it," he said. "When that energy becomes exposed, there's obviously a lot of other combustibles in the truck and plenty of oxygen, so a very good opportunity for a fire to commence." Mr Halverson said fire departments across the world had reported an increase in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries as the use of the technology skyrockets in rechargeable devices, including e-scooters and e-bikes. He said fires caused by lithium-ion batteries were known to re-ignite after a fire had been put out. "Sometimes that might be in a matter of minutes, it can be hours, and it certainly can even be a number of days later," he said. He said that due to the risk, a load of garbage dumped on the street because of a battery fire had to be treated with extra care, even once it was wet and smouldering. "It's not a case of just calling another [garbage] truck and putting it back in there." GCCC's Water, Waste and Energy Committee chair councillor Shelley Curtis said as well as the expense and inconvenience caused by a bin truck having to dump its load because of fire, driver safety was the council's main concern. "I'm a mother … and bin truck drivers are right up there with superheroes so we need to do everything to protect those men and women who deliver this service for our community," Cr Curtis said. "It's critical and they are awesome people." Cr Curtis said GCCC had not ruled out fining people for putting "contaminated waste in the wrong bins". "Obviously, we don't want to go that far because a lot of the time it just comes down to not understanding what can go in which bin," she said. "But disposing of your batteries should not be through your household bins, they really need to go through a recycling drop-off point." Battery recycling bins are located at many major supermarkets, with other locations listed on Australia's official battery recycling scheme B-cycle.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
2 killed in fiery overnight crash on Highway 4 near Brentwood
A portion of state Highway 4 in Brentwood is fully accessible again hours after a fatal collision ignited a dangerous battery fire on the freeway, the California Highway Patrol said early Thursday morning. All lanes of Highway 4 east of Balfour Road are fully open again, the CHP said on social media around 5:30 a.m. At 10:18 p.m. Wednesday, patrol officers went to the freeway's lanes near Fairview Avenue and found two vehicles that appeared to have hit head-on in the eastbound lane, said Officer Daniel Gilmore, a CHP spokesperson. Both drivers were killed. One of the vehicles, an electric SUV, was on fire, and due to the dangers of the vehicle's battery, officers and other first responders were unable to approach it, Gilmore said. The cause of the collision is yet unconfirmed.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Monterey County launches dashboard to track battery plant fire data amid wave of lawsuits
A wave of lawsuits, large and small, have been waged against Vistra Corporation, PG&E, and many of their associated companies in the months following an explosive Jan. 16 fire at their battery storage facility in Moss Landing. A single judge will be assigned to coordinate the cases and will manage all of the common facts and law; but the individual differences will be handled on a case-by-case basis, according to a description of the "mass tort" process on the website of one of the law firms, Danko Meredith. Whether the cases will be held in state or federal court is yet to be determined. The January fire caused the declaration of a local emergency. About 1,500 residents were evacuated and parts of state Highway 1 in Monterey County were closed for three days. Several businesses and restaurants in the Moss Landing Harbor area across from the plant have since closed, and some of the owners are suing for damages, saying the fire has affected their health and livelihoods. Since 2021, there have been four previous smoke or fire incidents at the Moss Landing site. Two months after the January fire, as hazardous materials crews approached the site to begin removing the burned batteries, the fire reignited. In the days and weeks that followed the fire, many residents around the facility reported experiencing respiratory distress and rashes. As with most industrial accidents, it is difficult to collect evidence that directly links human harm to a source. People are continuing to seek blood and hair tests in search of dangerous levels of nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium -- the metals found in batteries. The biggest lawsuits allege that Vistra had previous knowledge of the flaws in their BESS-300 building where the fire ignited, and the company failed to upgrade its technology to safer standards. Environmental testing has shown the presence of battery metals in the soils and waterways near the fire, but whether they were present at dangerous levels is still inconclusive. On Tuesday, Monterey County, which has shared all available environmental testing results with the public, launched a new map-based data dashboard. The public can now track where environmental testing and monitoring have taken place across the counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito in response to the fire. Ground, air and water testing has been done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Vistra consultant CTEH, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Santa Cruz County agricultural commissioner, Santa Cruz County Environmental Health and a grassroots community group called Never Again Moss Landing. "One question is how can I find out if I'm in the area affected and if I can be included in this case?" asked one Moss Landing resident in a Monday night virtual public meeting with Singleton Schreiber, the law firm handling one of the biggest cases. The advice given was to contact the firm for a conversation about where she lives and whether she has had any harms. Also present was environmental advocate and paralegal Erin Brockovich, who helped sue PG&E for contaminating the groundwater in the San Bernardino County area of Hinkley. It was, in 1996, the largest such settlement ever paid and the subject of a Hollywood film starring Julia Roberts. PG&E runs a battery facility adjacent to the fire at the Vistra 300-BESS building, but the PG&E facility did not burn. Both facilities have been offline since the fire. On May 7, PG&E wrote to the county and asked that their facility go back online. "I've never seen an agency resolve one of these issues," said Brockovich, referring to the citizen group's frustration with what they see as a lack of government oversight. "It's always a people movement with the law, and that's where we can make legislative changes." The Singleton Schreiber lawsuit asks for financial compensation and a trial for damages for civil battery, trespass (physical intrusion of contaminants), nuisance, negligence and liability. Brian Roeder, who facilitated the Never Again Moss Landing citizen group in the collection of their own environmental samples, is the lead plaintiff for a suit filed by the firms Fiore Achermann & Danko Meredith. "We had to leave," said Roeder, who recently moved to Pebble Beach, where he said the air is cleaner. "My wife had an emergency appendectomy that's been sent off to be tested by toxicologists up at UC San Francisco because we've heard a few people that have had emergency appendectomies. Apparently one of the metals, it might be lithium, is tied to calcium spikes." Karen Smith, spokesperson for the Monterey County Health Department, said in an email that medical providers are not required to report health care visits for chronic medical conditions like asthma and diabetes to the health department. However, the county issued a community survey, and epidemiologists are working on analyzing the results. "Local surveillance systems indicate that while some people did seek medical care in the days following the fire with air-quality related symptoms, the proportion of emergency department visits due to air-quality related symptoms did not significantly change from what was seen prior to the fire and from we would expect to see at this time of the year," Smith said. In an email statement received Tuesday, Vistra spokesperson Juliette Alper indicated they are responding accordingly to the lawsuits. "Moss Landing is our home, and we are committed to working with local officials, regulatory agencies, and the public to ensure the safety of our neighbors and community," said Alper. "Multiple agencies and organizations have monitored local air, water, and soil. To date, no risks to public health have been observed."
Android Authority
16-05-2025
- Android Authority
Battery failures return to haunt Google's Pixel A lineup — now the Pixel 6a is catching fire
TL;DR Multiple reports reveal instances of the Google Pixel 6a catching fire, often while charging overnight with off-brand chargers. Battery-related incidents have plagued various A-series models, including battery swelling in the Pixel 7a and overheating risks in the Pixel 4a. The Pixel 9a's release was delayed due to an unspecified 'component quality issue.' Afterward, Google released the phone with a mandatory battery health update that will reduce battery capacity and charging speed over time to maintain long-term battery health. Pixel 9a teardowns have also revealed excessive adhesive used in securing the battery, making it difficult to remove without damage. Pixel A-series users can't seem to catch a break with battery issues these days. After the Pixel 4a's infamous 'battery update of death,' Google also recently started offering free battery replacements for Pixel 7a users with a swollen battery. Now, a few reports have emerged of battery explosions for the Pixel 6a. Reddit user zaliver shared that their Pixel 6a 'spontaneously combusted' in the middle of the night. The phone was charging overnight using an off-brand charger, though the user claims that they had been using the charger for over a year with the phone with no issues. The Pixel 6a was in a case at the time. This isn't the first time we've heard about battery fires on the Pixel 6a. In December 2024, Reddit user GroundAny1309 also complained about their Pixel 6a catching fire while charging overnight using an off-brand charger, though they didn't present any images for the issue. Last month, another user complained about their Pixel 6a catching fire on Google's support forums. The user claims the device was sitting idle when it burst into flames, and in the images, we can see a rugged case on the phone, cases which are notorious for not dissipating heat quick enough. Swollen phone batteries are a dangerous but unfortunately common problem that plagues all smartphone OEMs. If the swollen battery gets accidentally punctured, it will catch fire. Phones can also catch fire if other battery and charging-related parts malfunction, which is why users are advised to stick to chargers and charging cables from reputable manufacturers. Off-brand chargers can compromise your safety, though the phone OEM is also responsible for building enough protective measures within the phone to prevent any untoward incident. Unfortunately for Google, there seems to be a pattern to battery issues on the Pixel A-series. The company did not share the technical details on the Pixel 4a's infamous battery update. However, we know from a product safety recall notice that the Pixel 4a's battery is at risk of overheating, which poses a risk of fire and/or burns to a user. It doesn't look good for the new Pixel 9a, either. YouTuber Zac from JerryRigEverything raised a red flag over the Pixel 9a's battery, mentioning how it is secured within the phone with too much adhesive, making it extremely difficult to remove and replace. That isn't great news for the phone's longevity, as you risk damage to the phone, or worse, to the battery, during a battery replacement. Unfortunately, chances are that you'd want a battery replacement eventually, as the Pixel 9a comes with a new and mandatory battery health feature that will decrease the battery's runtime and charging speed over time, in order to manage its long-term health and performance. Google didn't confirm a correlation, but the Pixel 9a's release was delayed due to an unspecified 'component quality issue.' We've contacted Google for a statement on the Pixel 6a's above-mentioned battery fire issues. We'll keep you updated if and when we learn more. If you are using a Pixel A-series phone, we recommend sticking with Google-branded chargers and charging cables. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cabin crew put out a fire after a portable charger caught alight on a flight from Florida to the Bahamas
A passenger's battery charger caught fire on a JetBlue flight from Florida to the Bahamas. Crew on the Airbus A320-200 put out the fire, which caused smoke in the cabin. The Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Authority said it was investigating the incident. Smoke and flames erupted in the cabin of a JetBlue flight last month after a passenger's portable charger overheated and caught fire in their carry-on luggage. The flight on April 25, operated by an Airbus A320-200 aircraft, took off from Fort Lauderdale International Airport bound for Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, the Bahamas. The Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Authority said the plane was about 50 miles from Nassau when a portable charging device ignited, resulting in smoke and flames in the cabin. Crew put out the fire with water and placed the device in the trash bin of the aircraft's front bathroom, the authority said on its website. The pilots then contacted air traffic control to advise them of the emergency situation. The flight landed safely and there were no injuries or serious damage. The AAIA is investigating the incident, which was first reported by Simple Flying. It's just another example of the risks posed in the air by rechargeable batteries. They are commonly found in chargers and other electronic devices and can become dangerous if they overheat. In March last year a Breeze Airways flight made an emergency landing after a passenger's laptop caught fire. FAA regulations state that devices containing lithium ion or lithium metal batteries — covering everything from laptops and smartphones to electric skateboards — should be put in your carry-on, rather than hold baggage. JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider
