kitchen fire sparked by loose batteries - home battery storage

If you have batteries stored somewhere in your home, a family in Charlottetown will give you a warning.
Alicia and Damien Parkwood were woken up by smoke alarms around 2: 30 A. M. m.
On Saturday, they noticed flames in the kitchen drawer.
"It's not too bad when I open it," Damien said . ".
"When it gets the air, the flame is big.
Damien said he grabbed the drawer and threw it outside.
The family and their dogs went out safely.
Alicia said investigators told them that the fire was caused by batteries in the drawer that lit the towels.
Charlotte Town Fire Inspector Winston Bryan says homeowners need to be careful when storing batteries.
Who would think, but nine
"Volt batteries, dual As, triple As, all have charging terminals," said volt . ".
If these batteries are loosely stored, especially metal objects like paper clips or keys, a circuit can be generated, and the flowing power will heat the battery.
"There is some combustible material in the owner's drawer and the fire ignites the combustible material," said Brian . ".
Bryan recommends the purchase of a special container for battery storage so that the battery can be kept in line so that the positive and negative terminals do not come together.
Damien said the family has been storing batteries for many years.
"I bought them the day before and I used them for Christmas lights and I had two left, just throw them in the drawer and close the door.
"I didn't think twice," he said . "
When the kitchen is repaired and smoke damage is cleaned up, the family is expected to spend the next week at the hotel.
At the same time, they want to spread a message about the importance of safe battery storage and install a working smoke alarm at home.
Aliciashared shared the family's experience on social media and said the post has been shared thousands of times.
The key to the incident, Brian said, was the smoke alarm.
He said: "The smoke alarm has played a role . . . . . . They saved the lives of these people . "
"If we didn't hear the smoke alarm, we wouldn't notice any smell or anything upstairs.
We didn't see all the smoke until we went downstairs, "Alicia said.
"It is very important to set up a smoke alarm in your house.
"Firefighters were relieved to find their family waiting and heating in the driveway," said Brian. More P. E. I.
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