Breaking News! 15 Tons of Lithium Batteries Caught Fire

According to social media, a container containing lithium-ion batteries caught fire at the Port of Montreal in Canada on September 23, triggering a temporary stay-at-home order for nearby residents.

According to the news, firefighters said that the container contained about 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries. Due to the nature of the batteries and concerns about the possibility of a chemical runaway, the fire was difficult to extinguish and was not extinguished until 7:00 a.m. on September 24, but one firefighter was injured in the accident.

Currently, the team at the Port of Montreal is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.

Veken Lithium noted that similar fire accidents have occurred many times this year at home and abroad.

According to Times of India, on September 14, a staff member on duty at Visakhapatnam Container Terminal Private Limited (VCTPL) in India found thick smoke coming out of a 40-foot container, which was loaded with lithium batteries for electric vehicles (mainly four-wheelers).

The container was allegedly shipped from China to Kolkata. After the fire, VCTPL management immediately isolated the container and the fire truck of the Visakhapatnam Port Authority cooled it down. Subsequently, the items in the container were removed and handled in accordance with safety regulations, and an internal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

On July 3, a container caught fire at a wharf in Yantian District, Shenzhen. After receiving the alarm, the Yantian District Fire Rescue Brigade immediately rushed to deal with it. After investigation, the fire scene burned lithium batteries and other goods in the container, and the fire area was about 8 square meters. There were no casualties. The cause of the fire was thermal runaway of the lithium battery.

A container caught fire at a dock in Yantian District, Shenzhen. After investigation, the fire scene burned lithium batteries and other goods in the container. The fire area was about 8 square meters. There were no casualties. The cause of the fire was thermal runaway of the lithium battery.

Zheng Bin, an associate professor of the Fire Engineering Department of the China Fire and Rescue Academy, once said that lithium batteries have high energy density and can store a large amount of energy in a relatively small volume. Once the battery encounters thermal runaway, the energy stored in the battery will be released rapidly, causing the combustion speed to accelerate sharply, and decompose to produce a variety of flammable and toxic gases, which increases the risk of combustion.