Video from a pharmacy drive-thru in Massachusetts shows an employee jumping into action after a battery exploded and caught fire inside a customer’s vehicle.Northampton Fire Rescue said the incident occurred last week at a CVS pharmacy.”Thanks to the quick thinking of a pharmacy employee, the fire was extinguished before it could escalate, and no injuries were reported,” officials wrote on social media.Video shows the customer opening the door and rushing out of the vehicle after the initial explosion. Flames are immediately visible inside the vehicle.Several other employees in blue shirts are seen before a man arrives, opens the window with a key and pulls the pin out of a fire extinguisher. He aimed the extinguisher through the window and sprayed the fire.”Upon arrival, our crews found that the fire had already been suppressed using a dry chemical fire extinguisher. Crews fully extinguished the fire and prevented any re-ignition,” the fire department said.Fire officials determined that a lithium-ion battery experienced thermal runaway, a chain reaction that caused it to overheat and explode. “This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of lithium-ion battery safety,” officials wrote. “Such batteries are found in many devices, including smartphones, laptops and e-cigarettes, and can pose serious risks when damaged, improperly charged, or exposed to extreme heat.”
Video from a pharmacy drive-thru in Massachusetts shows an employee jumping into action after a battery exploded and caught fire inside a customer’s vehicle.
Northampton Fire Rescue said the incident occurred last week at a CVS pharmacy.
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“Thanks to the quick thinking of a pharmacy employee, the fire was extinguished before it could escalate, and no injuries were reported,” officials wrote on social media.
Video shows the customer opening the door and rushing out of the vehicle after the initial explosion. Flames are immediately visible inside the vehicle.
Several other employees in blue shirts are seen before a man arrives, opens the window with a key and pulls the pin out of a fire extinguisher. He aimed the extinguisher through the window and sprayed the fire.
“Upon arrival, our crews found that the fire had already been suppressed using a dry chemical fire extinguisher. Crews fully extinguished the fire and prevented any re-ignition,” the fire department said.
Fire officials determined that a lithium-ion battery experienced thermal runaway, a chain reaction that caused it to overheat and explode.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of lithium-ion battery safety,” officials wrote. “Such batteries are found in many devices, including smartphones, laptops and e-cigarettes, and can pose serious risks when damaged, improperly charged, or exposed to extreme heat.”
