Experts share advice on handling portable battery fire
Experts share advice on handling portable battery fire
2025-10-16
As people take their phones with them everywhere, it’s also common to bring along a battery pack for extra charge. But more stories have been coming out lately of power banks exploding or catching on fire. If it happens to you, what should you do? An expert said that the only solution is bringing it to an open area and submerging it entirely in water.
The moment this lithium battery explodes, the flames leap straight up to the ceiling, followed by plumes of dangerous smoke and scorching temperatures. With more reports of batteries exploding or catching on fire, it’s important to exercise caution.
Meng Chia-mei
FTV reporter
If your power bank keeps emitting smoke or a burning smell, it could be a sign of an impending fire. Don’t hesitate—bring it to an open area outside, and submerge it directly into a bucket of water.
Lin Chin-hung
Disaster management specialist
You want enough water to entirely submerge the battery. Our recommendation is to leave it until the reaction stops. If it stops bubbling, that’s a clear indicator. Secondly, keep an eye on the temperature. That is, when it’s submerged, is the water getting hotter?
Experts suggest leaving it submerged for seven days. Once you’re sure there’s no reaction inside and there’s no charge left, then you can give it to a sanitation worker to throw away. If the battery does start to catch on fire, remove anything flammable in the vicinity and prepare lots of water. But on public transit, this would be hard to do. The fire extinguishers provided in the cars are actually completely useless.
Voice of fire safety expert
(voice altered)
All mass transit cars, trains, high-speed rail cars, and other public transit have dry chemical fire extinguishers. But if you spray it with dry chemicals, on the one hand it can’t mitigate the hazards posed by the lithium, and on the other, the dust it generates can cause respiratory discomfort and greater panic, maybe creating even more smoke than the battery itself.
Experts say that this kind of dry chemical fire extinguisher can’t stop a lithium battery fire. Only water-based ones like foam or enhanced liquid extinguishers could effectively lower temperatures. As for fire blankets or bags, experts are divided. The simplest way is to ensure that cars are stocked with the following items.
Voice of fire safety expert
(voice altered)
The simplest thing is to have a metal bucket near water. Of course, most important are the tongs. Ones used for collecting trash are fine.
Incidents involving power banks are on the rise. Public transport may need to become better equipped to keep up with safety requirements.
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#powerbank #battery #lithiumbattery #fire #firesafety #fireextinguisher #PSA #publictransit #MRT #publicsafety
行動電源爆炸意外頻傳 專家:移至空曠處"唯一解方泡水"
2025-10-16
現代人手機不離身，出門身上一定都會帶上一顆行動電源，但行動電源爆炸、自燃，意外頻傳。要是真的不幸，遇上行充起火，該怎麼辦？專家就說，移到空曠地方、將鋰電池浸泡進水裡，才是唯一的解決之道。
鋰電池爆炸瞬間，火光直衝屋頂，伴隨大量對人體有微量危害的煙，以及瞬間高溫，造成嗆傷、燙傷，都有可能！行動電源，爆炸、自燃，意外頻傳，真的要小心。
[[民視新聞記者 孟嘉美]]
“行動電源不斷冒煙，還有陣陣焦味傳出，這可能是起火的前兆，這時候別猶豫，帶著它到室外空曠地點，拿一盆水 直接將它浸泡入內。”
[[災害管理師 林金宏]]
“要整個鋰電池都能夠泡在水裡面，這樣子的水量，我們的建議是會泡到它反應結束，它不會冒泡，這是一個判斷。第二個呢，如果你在看的時候看那個溫度，也就是說你不是泡在水裡面，那水溫有沒有持續在上升。”
“
專家提醒，這水一泡，得泡七天。確定內部沒有反應、完成放電後，才能交給清潔隊丟棄。只是鋰離子電池起火，要移除周邊可燃物、還需要大量的水。在交通運具上，真的很難實現。車內唾手可得的滅火器，根本沒有用！
[[聲源: 消防專家(變音)]]
“目前所有的大眾捷運，或是火車、高鐵、運輸工具，全部都是乾粉滅火器，但是乾粉滅火器噴下去之後，一方面是沒辦法抑制鋰電池的災害，二方面它的產生的粉塵，會造成呼吸道的不適，更會造成更大的恐慌，噴出來的煙或許還比鋰電池還多。”
專家坦言，乾粉滅火器，抑制不了失控的鋰電池。要是泡沫、強化液等水分子滅火器，才有機會，有效降低溫度。至於防火毯、防火袋，有沒有用，專家間意見分歧。但最簡單的，是車廂內，都要備好這些物品。
[[聲源: 消防專家(變音)]]
“最簡單的就是用一個鐵桶，然後在旁邊放個水，當然最重要是夾子，垃圾夾就可以了”
行動電源意外頻傳，大眾運輸工具，配備設施或許也要與時俱進。
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