Battery overheats, causing fire

Firefighters have issued safety advice after they attended a property following a fire caused by a faulty battery.

Crews from Braintree and Halstead were called to a property in Hawkwood Road, Sible Hedingham this morning to carry out an inspection, after a battery was left charging overnight and caused a fire.

On arrival, Firefighters reported that there was damage in the kitchen, where the battery had exploded. Crews conducted a full investigation, to make sure the fire was completely out and could not re-ignite.

Fortunately, the occupants had working smoke alarms throughout their home which alerted them to the fire as soon as it started, so nobody was harmed.

Station Manager, Steve Byrne, said: “This incident really demonstrates the dangers of leaving chargers on unsupervised. On this occasion, the occupants were fortunately at home and had working smoke alarms, but the outcome could have been far more serious.

“Faulty batteries are a common cause of fires in Essex. Please do your research on the item beforehand to make sure these are genuine goods with the CE Mark and that they are not copies. Some products and their listings can look really genuine but the listing, product and its packaging should all be marked with the CE Mark that shows it meets safety regulations.

“Even if the fire appears to be out, we would urge everyone to call the Fire Service straight away. Batteries can continue to heat, even if the fire is out, which presents significant hazards, including risk of explosion.”

Read more electrical fire safety advice from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service at: https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/electrical_safety