FRNSW investigators reveal 'compromised' lithium-ion battery likely cause of fatal fire at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney
Fire and Rescue New South Wales investigators have revealed a lithium-ion battery appears to be the cause of a fire north of Sydney last week where two people died.?
Four people were inside the townhouse at Teralba, Lake Macquarie, when the property went up in flames about 4.10am last Thursday.?
Two of the occupants were able to escape the blaze, but two others were killed.
FRNSW investigators believe a battery was "compromised" and quickly went into what they described as "thermal runaway" where a lithium-ion cell overheats and gives off toxic gases before "exploding flames".?
FRNSW said last week's tragedy is understood to be the first fatal fire involving a lithium-ion battery in NSW.
There have been 45 lithium-ion battery-related fires in NSW so far this year, which averages at five incidents per week, according to FRNSW statistics.
Last year, there were 269 fires of the same sort across the state, also at a rate of five per week.?