Batteries that were being recharged are to blame for a smoky but quite small fire inside a West Kelowna home on Monday morning.
According to the West Kelowna Fire Rescue, batteries for a drone were being recharged, but a malfunction occurred, resulting in a fire that produced little flames but considerable smoke.
“We see a lot of issues with batteries overcharging. Generally, they tend to be in a garage,” said Sean Minchin, West Kelowna Fire assistant captain.
“This was a perfect example of (recharging batteries) separate to your home or your living area because it’s quite dangerous. We have a lot of electronics and batteries in our lives nowadays and they fail quite often.
“If we can limit that, I don’t think that’s a bad idea.”
No injuries were reported, and the owner was home at the time.
The fire department said the home sustained smoke damage, and crews will do their best to ventilate the residence along Viewpoint Drive.
In 2022, the Vancouver Fire Department said half of the city’s 10 fire deaths that year resulted from rechargeable batteries.
On its website about rechargeable battery safety, the City of Vancouver says “As with any product, a small number of the batteries can be defective, overheat, catch fire, or explode.”