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Lithium Battery Ignites Lodi Basement Fire

A lithium-ion battery from a hoverboard ignited a basement blaze that Lodi firefighters quickly extinguished Wednesday night.

Lodi firefighters quickly doused the basement fire on Avenue B off Main Street late Wednesday, March 23.

Lodi firefighters quickly doused the basement fire on Avenue B off Main Street late Wednesday, March 23.

Photo Credit: Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE
The dangers of hoverboard lithium-ion batteries left charging too long in small, confined spaces can't be overstated.

The dangers of hoverboard lithium-ion batteries left charging too long in small, confined spaces can't be overstated.

Photo Credit: Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE

The fire broke out in a 1½-story private home on Avenue B off the corner of Main Street shortly before 10 p.m. March 22.

An initial report of people possibly trapped fortunately proved unfounded.

Main Street was temporarily closed while firefighters ran a supply line across it. They had the two-alarmer doused in under 10 minutes. No injuries were reported.

Providing mutual aid at the scene or in coverage were firefighters from Garfield, Hasbrouck Heights and Wallington, as well as Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook and Wood-Ridge. Lodi's Office of Emergency Management was also called to the scene.

The County Wide Emergency Response team set up a canteen.

Powerful output at a small, lightweight size makes lithium-ion batteries popular. They're not interchangeable, however, and quality has been known to vary.

High-quality batteries are more stable and last longer, the experts say, while low-quality batteries pose serious risks (story continues below).

Take the number that are required to get a hoverboard moving and you have an enormous amount of heat being generated, fire inspectors note. Put that in a small or tight space without proper ventilation and combustion likely follows, they warn.

Charging them too long can also cause fires. Two or three hours is fine, but overnight only creates trouble -- and potential disaster.

Damien Danis took the photos and contributed to this account.

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