Lithium-ion battery fires are a growing safety risk because of a phenomenon called thermal runaway, a self-sustaining internal chemical reaction that conventional fire suppression agents struggle to stop. Unlike ordinary fires, the energy driving a lithium-ion battery fire comes from inside the battery cells themselves, making it possible for flames to reignite even after they appear to be out. The sections below unpack why these fires are increasing, which environments carry the highest risk, and what suppression approaches actually work.<\/p>\n
Lithium-ion battery fires are so difficult to extinguish because the fire is driven by an internal chemical chain reaction, thermal runaway, that generates its own heat and fuel regardless of what suppression agent is applied to the outside. Cooling the visible flames does not stop the reaction happening inside the cells, which means re-ignition is a constant risk even after a fire appears to be under control.<\/p>\n
When a lithium-ion cell is damaged, overcharged, or overheated, its internal materials begin to break down. Temperature rises rapidly, flammable and toxic gases, including hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen fluoride, are released, and pressure builds until the cell casing ruptures. The heat from one failing cell then transfers to neighbouring cells, triggering a cascading sequence of failures across the entire battery pack. Thermal runaway can produce temperatures well above 800\u00b0C in severe incidents.<\/p>\n
The gas release is a particularly serious complication. Hydrogen and methane increase the risk of explosion, while hydrogen fluoride is toxic and corrosive. Critically, gas emissions can continue long after visible flames have disappeared, meaning a battery that looks stable may still pose a significant hazard. Emergency responders must monitor affected packs for at least 20 minutes after suppression before treating the situation as resolved.<\/p>\n
Conventional suppression agents, water, standard foam, and dry powder, address the visible fire but generally cannot penetrate the battery structure to interrupt the internal reaction. Water alone runs off hot surfaces quickly and may not maintain enough sustained contact to cool the pack to a safe temperature. This is why thermal runaway blocking<\/a> has become a distinct engineering challenge in battery fire safety, requiring suppression technology designed specifically for this type of incident.<\/p>\n Discuss your application<\/a>\n<\/div>\n Lithium-ion battery fires are increasing in frequency because the number of lithium-ion cells in daily use is growing at an extraordinary pace. Electric vehicles, e-bikes, energy storage systems, power tools, and consumer electronics have all expanded the total volume of lithium-ion batteries in homes, workplaces, warehouses, and public spaces, and with more batteries comes more statistical opportunity for failure.<\/p>\n The growth is not evenly distributed across product categories. E-bikes and e-scooters have attracted particular attention from fire safety authorities because they are often charged indoors, sometimes with aftermarket chargers that do not match the battery’s specifications. Improper charging is one of the most common triggers for thermal runaway, and the confined indoor environments where these vehicles are stored make fire spread faster and evacuation harder.<\/p>\n Energy storage systems present a different scale of risk. As solar panel installations and grid-scale battery storage expand, large battery banks are being installed in buildings and industrial facilities that were not originally designed with battery fire risk in mind. A single thermal runaway event in a large battery array can rapidly escalate because of the cascading cell failure mechanism described above.<\/p>\n Regulatory pressure is also reshaping the landscape. European legislation is phasing out fire suppression foams that contain PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, with a complete ban expected by 2031 under EU regulation. This is pushing fire safety professionals to evaluate alternative suppression technologies at exactly the moment when battery fire incidents are rising, making the development of effective, PFAS-free solutions more urgent than ever.<\/p>\n The industries and environments facing the highest lithium-ion battery fire risk are those where large numbers of batteries are stored, charged, or processed in close proximity, particularly warehousing and logistics, electric vehicle infrastructure, recycling facilities, maritime operations, and residential buildings with e-bike or home energy storage installations.<\/p>\n Warehousing and logistics operations have become a significant concern as the volume of battery-powered devices moving through supply chains has grown. A single pallet of lithium-ion products represents a concentrated fire load, and the large open floor areas of warehouses can allow fire to spread quickly before suppression systems activate.<\/p>\n Recycling facilities face a specific and underappreciated hazard. Batteries arriving in the waste stream are often damaged, partially discharged, or improperly sorted. Mechanical processing, shredding or compacting, can pierce cells and immediately trigger thermal runaway. The unpredictable nature of incoming waste makes it difficult to anticipate or prevent ignition events.<\/p>\n The maritime sector operates under particularly challenging conditions. On a vessel, fire suppression resources are limited, evacuation options are restricted, and the consequences of an uncontrolled battery fire at sea are severe. As electric propulsion and large battery banks become more common on ships and ferries, maritime fire safety planning must account for the specific behaviour of lithium-ion battery fires.<\/p>\n Residential environments are also increasingly at risk. E-bikes and e-scooters stored and charged in apartments or garages represent a genuine hazard, especially in multi-occupancy buildings where a fire in one unit can spread rapidly to others. The combination of high energy density, indoor charging, and limited fire suppression equipment makes these scenarios particularly dangerous for occupants.<\/p>\n The key difference between a lithium-ion battery fire and a standard fire is that a lithium-ion fire is self-fuelling from within the battery. A standard fire relies on an external fuel source and can be extinguished by removing heat, fuel, or oxygen. A lithium-ion battery fire generates its own heat and flammable gases through internal chemical decomposition, which means removing the external fuel or oxygen supply alone is not sufficient to stop it.<\/p>\n In a conventional Class A fire, burning wood, paper, or fabric, cooling the burning material below its ignition temperature and cutting off the oxygen supply will reliably extinguish the fire. The fuel is passive and does not produce new heat once the combustion reaction is interrupted.<\/p>\n In a lithium-ion battery fire, the fuel is active. As the cell temperature rises, internal chemical reactions accelerate, producing more heat, more flammable gas, and more pressure. This feedback loop, thermal runaway, can sustain and intensify the fire even when external suppression is being applied. The fire essentially fights back against suppression efforts by generating new energy from inside the battery.<\/p>\n A second critical difference is re-ignition risk. A standard fire that has been visibly extinguished is generally stable. A lithium-ion battery that has been visibly extinguished may still contain residual heat and reactive chemistry that can reignite minutes or even hours later. This is why post-incident monitoring is essential and why suppression technology that maintains sustained contact with battery surfaces, rather than simply knocking down visible flames, is technically better suited to this fire type. Understanding how gel-based suppression works<\/a> on battery surfaces helps clarify why conventional water or powder agents often fall short.<\/p>\n The most effective fire suppression agents for lithium-ion battery fires are those that can cool the battery rapidly, maintain sustained contact with hot surfaces, and address re-ignition risk, not just extinguish visible flames. Water can provide initial cooling but runs off hot surfaces quickly. Agents that combine high water content with surface adhesion and thermal insulation properties perform significantly better against thermal runaway.<\/p>\n Dry powder and CO2 extinguishers are generally not recommended for lithium-ion battery fires. They can suppress visible flames but do nothing to cool the battery or interrupt the internal thermal runaway reaction. Re-ignition after powder or CO2 application is a well-documented risk in battery fire incidents.<\/p>\n Standard firefighting foam presents a different problem. While some foam formulations improve surface adhesion compared to water alone, many conventional foams contain PFAS, chemicals that are persistent environmental contaminants and are being phased out under European regulation. Using PFAS-containing agents on battery fires also creates contaminated runoff that poses its own environmental and disposal challenges.<\/p>\n Hydrogel, developed by Anogas and certified to KIWA NTA 8133 for lithium-ion battery fire applications, addresses these limitations through a combination of five simultaneous suppression mechanisms: rapid cooling, thermal isolation, gas suppression and neutralisation, lithium-ion stabilisation, and re-ignition prevention. The temperature-sensitive gel thickens on contact with heat, adhering to battery surfaces rather than running off, and can penetrate damaged battery structures to deliver localised cooling where it is needed most. It contains zero PFAS and is composed primarily of water and modified natural clay. For organisations evaluating suppression options, the full technical profile of Hydrogel<\/a> provides detailed specification and application data.<\/p>\n Discuss your application<\/a>\n<\/div>\n Businesses can reduce their lithium-ion battery fire risk by combining three elements: proper storage and charging practices, fit-for-purpose suppression equipment, and trained response protocols. No single measure is sufficient on its own, effective risk reduction requires all three working together.<\/p>\n On the prevention side, the most important steps are controlling charging conditions and managing battery condition. Batteries should only be charged with manufacturer-approved chargers, should not be left charging unattended overnight, and should be inspected regularly for physical damage, swelling, or unusual heat. Damaged batteries should be isolated and disposed of through proper channels rather than continued in service.<\/p>\n Storage layout matters significantly. Lithium-ion batteries, whether in products, in vehicles, or in energy storage systems, should be stored away from combustible materials, in well-ventilated areas, and with adequate separation between units to limit the risk of thermal propagation from one battery to another. Facilities storing large volumes of battery-powered products should carry out a specific fire risk assessment that accounts for the cascading failure behaviour of lithium-ion cells.<\/p>\n Suppression equipment must be appropriate for the fire type. Handheld extinguishers rated for lithium-ion battery fires, such as those using Hydrogel technology available through portable extinguisher solutions<\/a>, should be positioned in areas where battery charging and storage take place. Fixed suppression systems in high-risk environments such as warehouses, recycling facilities, and EV charging areas should be reviewed to confirm they can deliver adequate agent volume and sustained cooling for a battery fire scenario. Organisations operating at scale may also want to evaluate integrated fire suppression systems<\/a> designed for battery fire environments.<\/p>\n Finally, staff training is essential. Employees should understand that a lithium-ion battery fire behaves differently from a standard fire, that visible extinguishment does not mean the hazard is resolved, and that a minimum monitoring period is required before the area can be treated as safe. Clear evacuation procedures and defined escalation protocols, including when to call emergency services rather than attempt suppression, are a fundamental part of any effective battery fire safety plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lithium-ion battery fires are rising fast. Learn why thermal runaway is so hard to stop and what actually works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4120","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy are lithium-ion battery fires increasing in frequency?<\/h2>\n
Which industries and environments face the highest battery fire risk?<\/h2>\n
What’s the difference between a lithium-ion fire and a standard fire?<\/h2>\n
What fire suppression agents are effective on lithium-ion battery fires?<\/h2>\n
How can businesses reduce their lithium-ion battery fire risk?<\/h2>\n