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Defiance Fire Department warns residents about lithium‑ion battery risks after June hoverboard fire
Summary
Fire department officials described a June hoverboard fire discovered under a living‑room sofa, outlined common causes of lithium‑ion battery fires and urged residents to use approved chargers and dispose of batteries at designated drop‑off locations.
Captain Brandon Case of the Defiance Fire Department described a June 23 house fire in which firefighters found a hoverboard charging under a sofa and stopped what could have become a destructive structure fire. The homeowner evacuated two children and called 911; thermal imaging led firefighters to the heat source before flames spread.
The fire department presented the incident and broader safety guidance to the Defiance City Council on Sept. 2 as part of a short public safety briefing. “We moved the sofa out of the way and found a hoverboard plugged in, charging underneath the sofa and had burned through the carpet, burned through part of the floorboard, and charred some of the sofa,” Captain Brandon Case said.
The department stressed that most consumer lithium‑ion battery fires start from overheating, physical damage or use of unapproved chargers. Captain Case said cheaply manufactured or recalled devices are a common cause: the hoverboard involved had been recalled and “the owner of it did not either see the recall or they just didn’t know about it.” He listed signs of a failing battery — swelling, hissing or heat after charging — and advised residents to unplug and remove such batteries from the home and not to throw them in household trash.
Fire officials also walked council members through other past local incidents. Captain Case recounted a July 2, 2021, case in which cell phone batteries in a trash compactor smoldered and later ignited a trash truck; firefighters located smoldering batteries at a landfill using a thermal imager. He said the city’s refuse contractor has switched most of its fleet to propane and that a garbage truck fire involving propane can present a large explosion risk if not stopped early.
On electric‑vehicle fires, Captain Case said batteries can require prolonged water application to extinguish. “The best way for us to put out batteries that are on fire in an electric car is to completely submerge that entire car in water or spray water on it for 12, 15, 20 hours,” he said, and noted the department has added equipment such as an electric fire blanket and piercing nozzles to flood battery cells.
Council members asked practical disposal questions. Captain Case pointed council and residents to a local drop‑off: “Whirlers has special bins at their facility, on the north side of town. And they will take those batteries for you and they dispose and they actually send them to a third party company that will dispose of them properly.” He repeated the department’s basic instruction for suspected battery fires: evacuate, call 911 and do not attempt to extinguish them yourself with household fire extinguishers.
The presentation concluded with council members thanking the department and exchanging additional questions about charging location recommendations and temperature effects; Captain Case reiterated the department’s guidance to charge larger battery‑powered devices on noncombustible surfaces (for example, a garage cement floor) and to follow manufacturers’ charger specifications.
The department did not request or receive any formal action from the council during the presentation.
