LAKE PLEASANT — A basement fire at 15 Montague Ave. on Monday afternoon is believed to have been caused by a lithium-ion battery, according to Fire Chief Luke Hartnett.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire, which was contained to the basement on the right-hand side of the home, Hartnett said. Firefighters were able to gain access and extinguish the flames not long after their arrival, just after noon on Monday.
Homeowner Jody Beck said she was at the home when she smelled smoke and ran out of the house to alert her brother-in-law down the road. Within five minutes, Beck said the Turners Falls Fire Department had arrived.
Hartnett, who leads both the Turners Falls and Montague Center departments, said smoke was showing from outside the home on the first floor. Crews from the two departments were able to access the home’s basement, extinguish the fire and ventilate the home.
Hartnett said the fire was limited to the basement, specifically in the area of a workbench, where he said the homeowners reported that a lithium-ion battery was charging, and other batteries may have been nearby.
“It was contained to the workbench and it was starting to spread,” Hartnett said, “but due to early notification and the quick response of both departments, these guys did a phenomenal job.”
As for lithium-ion batteries, Hartnett issued a reminder to not charge these types of batteries when they are unattended.
“If you’re leaving the house or you’re not going to be in the same room with them, unplug them,” he said. “It’s not worth the risk.”
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, lithium-ion batteries can catch fire from overcharging, overheating and degradation of the battery with age. Some of the signs of thermal runaway — a chain reaction of overheating that can cause a battery to explode or catch fire — include a popping or hissing round, visible gas venting from the battery, increasing temperatures and bulging of the battery.
Beck expressed her gratitude to the fire departments for their quick response, and to her neighbors in Lake Pleasant for helping.
Responding fire departments included Turners Falls, Montague Center, Greenfield, Sunderland, Wendell, New Salem, Erving and Amherst, with help from the Montague Police Department. Eversource was also on scene.
