Lithium battery sparks destructive house fire in Franklin

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Franklin family is picking up the pieces after a fire ripped through their home Thursday night, killing two animals and causing serious damage to the structure.

Williamson County Fire/Rescue said crews were sent to reports of a house fire in the 5500 block of Rathkeale Lane in the Abington Ridge subdivision just after 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25.

The first Williamson County deputies to arrive at the scene reportedly saw heavy flames jumping through the roof, but they quickly discovered the occupants were able to escape the home.

According to investigators, the fire began in the front room of the house after a lithium ion battery — which was plugged in to charge a radio controlled car — exploded.

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“The homeowners were upstairs, they heard a loud pop, went downstairs, and in that front room, they found where they had been plugging in a remote control car with a lithium battery, it had caught fire,” Dinah Wade, the public information officer for Williamson County Fire/Rescue, said.

When lithium ion batteries explode, they frequently burn hotter and faster than other fires, which is why the family’s fire extinguisher failed to contain the blaze, officials said.

“The flames were already going up the wall. They tried to use a fire extinguisher, but the fire had already grown too big. It heated up so fast it blew the windows out, which provided more oxygen, which just fueled that fire; [it] went up into the roofline and took off,” Wade explained.

Investigators said more than 50% of the home burned in the blaze. In addition, News 2 drone shows most, if not all, of the roof is gone.

“The fire grew that fast. A lot of times with these lithium ion batteries, they explode. One battery cell explodes, but usually there’s more than one cell in that battery pack, and then it lights the others, and then they explode and they explode, so it causes big fire fast,” Wade told News 2.

Even though officials said Williamson Health EMS treated two occupants at the scene, the family still managed to get out of the house without any serious injuries. However, two dogs reportedly died in the fire.

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Fire officials offered the following advice when it comes to lithium ion batteries:

• Make sure you buy from a reliable company.

• Check the certifications and specifications for home charging.

• Be home when charging is in progress.

• Disconnect the device from the electrical circuit when it’s done charging.

No additional details have been released about the investigation into Thursday night’s fire.

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