Fire Prevention week is set for October 5-11

“We knew about it, but we just didn’t think that it would happen to us,” said Patty Freeman.  

Nearly two years after her family lost everything in a Woodbury house fire, she wants others to know how dangerous lithium-ion batteries can be.  

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Patty and her husband, Pat, were still lying in bed when they smelled something burning.   

Before they knew it, their son was screaming “fire” from the basement, and the smoke alarms were going off. Less than a minute later, the house was engulfed in flames and black smoke.  

Fortunately, the entire family, including their dogs, made it out without any injuries. But almost everything else was gone.  

“We still only focus on the fact that nobody got hurt and everybody walked out,” said Freeman. “But it is devastating knowing that you’ll never get those baby pictures back again.”  

The cause of the fire was the lithium-ion battery inside an Airsoft gun. Patty’s son had plugged it into the incorrect charger that morning and the battery exploded.  

“Nowadays there are knockoff batteries on Amazon or other vendors that are at a really reduced cost, which can be attractive,” said Woodbury Fire Chief Chris Klein. “But those knockoffs can be dangerous.”

The same day the Freemans’ house caught fire, his department responded to two other lithium-ion battery fires.  

And it’s a concern all around the country.  

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.”  

These batteries are in a lot of different products: cellphones, laptops, lawn tools, e-cigarettes and even children’s toys. 

There are some simple steps you can take to keep your family safe:  

• Buy only listed products. These have a stamp from a Nationally Recognized Testing Lab (NRTL) on the packaging, which means it meets established safety standards. Here is a list of NRTLs and their stamps approved by the federal government. 

• Only use chargers that have been approved by the manufacturer of your device and are meant for that specific item.  

• Don’t charge anything when you’re not home to keep an eye on it.  

• Charge devices on a flat surface in the middle of the room away from other items.  

The Freemans have taken an extra step: They charge their lithium-ion batteries in fire-proof bags they found online.  

They hope other families never have to go through a devastating fire.  

“Seeing all the devastation, it’s like everything you’ve worked for your entire life is just gone,” said Freeman.

Editor’s Note: The above story is from the State Fire Marshal Safety Matters blog