VIDEO: The Champaign Fire Department said that a common item started a blaze in a Champaign neighborhood this weekend. โLithium ion batteries are in almost everything these days,โ Champaign Fire Departmentโs Battalion Chief Chris Zaremba said.
Thatโs why firefighters want to send a safety message now more than ever. Officials with the department said that a lithium battery caught fire inside a garbage truck. Zaremba said that the battery involved in the incident was relatively small, which made it easier to put out. However, thatโs not the case for bigger batteries, like what youโd find in an electric vehicle. When those catch on fire, Zaremba said that it can take thousands of gallons of water and hours of time to extinguish. He added that, in general, lithium ion batteries arenโt overly dangerous.
