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Country firefighters say the changing nature of modern house fires — including a growing number sparked by lithium-ion batteries — is putting them in increasing danger.
Figures from Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services show e-rideables have become the main source of battery fires in the state.
Albany senior firefighter Tim Auty recently attended a house fire sparked by an e-scooter battery on charge inside a house in the regional city, 420km south of Perth.
Lithium-ion batteries have caused a number of house fires in Albany, WA. (Supplied)
"There was glass smashed out about 6 metres onto the grass, there were flames I could see in the front window and a lot of smoke, a lot of off-gassing billowing out the front window," Mr Auty said.
"It was a considerable amount of time, say 10 to 15 minutes to put that initial flame out, when usually at other jobs it only takes one or two minutes to get a room under control."
Tim Auty says battery fires take considerably longer to extinguish. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)
Fellow senior firefighter Brendon McCormack said battery fires were proving to be some of the most challenging of his 20-year career to deal with.
"The hotter these fires are, the lower the working duration that our crews are able to endure," he said.
"We require significantly more water, so we have to draw on more local resources — bushfire brigades, our local volunteers — all ferrying in water which is often a challenge in the country.
"We're talking about the rate of spread of these fires, the duration of these incidents are increasing, the off-gassing and the toxins that firefighters face."
With toxic fumes and rapidly spreading fire, Brendon McCormack says the batteries pose a risk to firefighters. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)
A worrying trend
In Western Australia, there have been 91 fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries this year.
In 2023 there were 109.
Across Australia, it is estimated state emergency services responded to more than 1,000 fires caused by these batteries in 2023.
Meanwhile, the waste and recycling industry said it was fighting many more fires caused by incorrectly discarded batteries.
The New South Wales government announced in August plans to bring new safety standards for batteries into effect early next year, with fines for sellers not adhering.
Fire and Emergency Services Albany district officer Cameron Famlonga said the increasing incidence of these fires was concerning.
"It's extremely worrying, we all live in a society now where I'd say there would be multiple sources of lithium-ion storage in one house," he said.
Cameron Famlonga with a lithium-ion battery cell from a house fire. (ABC News: Samantha Goerling)
How do you prevent battery fires?
There are several steps people can take to mitigate the risk of battery fires, including only charging lithium-ion batteries while attended and on a hard surface outside.
Mr Famlonga also cautioned to watch for environmental factors that could cause damage.
"If you've dropped it, if it's been in water, in direct sunlight, or overheated, it can quite often cause micro damage … which can quite often cause the battery to fail while charging," he said.
"If you did see a battery of your own that was starting to show gassing coming off, those gases are extremely toxic, so you should remove yourself from the location of the batteries and call triple-zero immediately."
He said smoke alarms were also essential.
"Working smoke alarms are the only thing that will notify residents of a potential fire or fire within a house," he said.
"The fire could be in a different room, so having those smoke alarms interconnected nowadays is certainly the best standard."