Firefighters are warning people of the dangers of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries found in electronic devices after a serious house fire in Croydon.
A father and son were hospitalised by the fire, which broke out on Coleridge Road in Croydon yesterday evening (June 24).
London Fire Brigade (LFB), who managed to control and eventually extinguish the fire, said Friday they believed the fire was “accidental and caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery in the kitchen”.
An LFB spokesperson said: “Batteries can present a fire risk if they’re over-charged, short circuited, submerged in water or damaged, so it’s really important to protect them against being damaged and charge them safely.
Firefighters are reminding people to protect batteries against being damaged and to charge them safely after a house fire in #Croydon . A man and a child were taken to hospital https://t.co/pPNttBPgOH pic.twitter.com/kYE8hfWCc6
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 25, 2021
“Unplug devices once they have finished charging and make sure you use the right charger for your device.
“This is also a timely reminder to test your smoke alarms. There were no working smoke alarms fitted inside the property.
“Having working smoke alarms is so important in helping to detect fires and save lives. They can provide time to escape.”
Meanwhile the brigade also published a list of safety tips related to batteries, replicated below: