Fire Prevention Week is October 5–11, and this year’s theme is “Charge into Fire Safety™,” focusing on the safe use and disposal of lithium-ion batteries, a growing cause of fires. Understanding thermal runaway for fire safety purposes helps with the prevention of losses related to lithium-ion batteries. Understanding thermal runaway once the loss has already occurred will help prepare you for your potential subrogation case.
Thermal Runaway
When a battery cell becomes damaged in some way, it can begin generating heat faster than it can dissipate it. If the temperature rises beyond a critical threshold, it can trigger a chain reaction in adjacent cells—a process known as “thermal runaway.” This process can result in serious hazards, including fires, arc flashes, toxic gas release, and even explosions.
Causes of thermal runaway typically fall into three categories:
- Mechanical damage: Physical impact or deformation of the battery cell.
- Thermal damage: Exposure to and build-up of excessive heat.
- Electrical damage: Failures due to charging or short circuits.
When thermal runaway leads to a fire, extinguishing it becomes especially challenging. That’s because the ignition source—the energy stored within the battery—remains active. Fire safety professionals refer to this as “stranded energy”, meaning the energy is trapped inside the battery with no safe way to release it. This causes significant safety risks for first responders.
For your subrogation investigations involving lithium ion batteries, you will need the retention of knowledgeable experts, thorough processing of the loss site to locate all the remains of the battery cells, a diligent investigation into all other potential ignition sources, and laboratory inspections of the physical evidence.
For fire safety, visit fpw.org to learn more about Fire Prevention Week, and visit call2recyle.org to find safe battery recycling locations. As part of this Fire Prevention Week, we at Cozen O’Connor want to take the opportunity to thank all the first responders for their service and we wish for their continued safety.
