Geo Duarte
By Geo Duarte
3:34 PM on Saturday (7/15/2023) – Reports of a vehicle fire near Las Positas and Cliff Drive
Bystanders walking by the intersection of Alan Rd. & Wade Crt. noticed smoke in the cabin of a white Nissan Sentra. Luckily the owner did not lock the vehicle and the bystanders were able to open the doors. They found a rechargeable battery pack on fire in the rear left seat of the car and were able to remove it. The lithium batteries continued to burn on the ground next to the vehicle.
A fire engine soon arrived and put the device in a bucket of water. The back seat had a very light burn mark and a very strong smell of smoke.
The owner of the vehicle felt very lucky that someone intervened and the fire did not further develop.
The moral of the story is to not leave any device with lithium batteries in direct sunlight. The temperature of vehicles left in the sun today reached around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Photo by Geo Duarte
Why there are rules about lithium batteries in plane luggage.
Because if they were to catch fire in the cargo hold, there’s no direct access to put it out. In the cabin, they can throw it in a specific type of bag to extinguish it or throw orange juice on it.
The LA Times printed a good discussion on the effect of heat on lithium batteries. It is not just those that power cars. Most of us have not thought about this.
Honarable mention to the hero who saved thia gus ride! A lady who I showed the story to. Sated “I hope that person got a reward at least $100 bucks!” Haha good point! not sure if they did get that reward.