Two battery fires break out in Hampshire following batteries being disposed of incorrectly

Firefighters had to attend two fires this morning, the first being in Beaulieu and the second being in Cosham. On-call firefighters from Beaulieu and Hardley were alerted to a fire in a bin lorry on the High Street in Beaulieu shortly before 8am.

The rubbish was removed from the vehicle, which allowed the fire crews to extinguish the fire which had sparked from the battery of an electrical device. After dampening down the contents firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to check the remainder of the rubbish.

Less than an hour later, Cosham crews were called to a waste depot after a lithium-ion battery caught alight, with the resulting fire spreading across a five-tonne pile of household recycling.

The bin crew returned to the depot where they emptied the pile out onto the yard, before firefighters were able to remove the battery, which was in thermal runaway, and they submerged it in water.

HIWFRS Assistant Director for Community Safety, Jason Avery said: “When disposing of batteries we’d ask that you follow the advice on your local council’s website and check online to find your nearest dedicated battery and electrical recycling points.”