Vancouver Island Fire Chief Has Close Call with Lithium Battery

Dec. 3, 2024

Dashwood Fire Chief Nick Acciavatti said the battery was not charging or in any device when it caught fire and exploded.

Susan Nicol

A fire chief in British Columbia is sounding the alarm on lithium batteries after experiencing his own close call.

"So this one hits a bit close to home, my home," Dashwood Fire Chief Nick Acciavatti wrote on his department's Facebook page.

He added: "We had a very close call yesterday afternoon which if our smoke alarms were not working and quick action to extinguish the fire, we would have lost our home or at best made it unliveable."

The culprit -- a new lithium polymer battery he purchased for an airsoft gun. It was removed from the gun after it lost its charge. About 15 minutes later, it self-detonated and exploded.

"The battery was NOT charging and NOT plugged into anything was set down on the floor," he posted.

About the Author

Susan Nicol | News Editor

Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.