Lithium Battery Fire - Near Disaster

[AlexPeterson]

Halotron extinguishers might be a good choice, but I haven't researched how they perform on lithium fires. Dry chemical extinguishers have the additional problem of leaving a very corrosive dust everywhere. Aircraft are generally totaled if a dry chemical one is used on it due to corrosion.

[TheNescios]

Jim,
Great share and I'm happy you and everyone is safe!

Having spent close to 15 years as a volunteer firefighter when I was a bit younger and lighter on my feet, your post reminded me it's that time of year when we should all be looking to change out our smoke detector batteries, check fire extinguishers to make sure they're current, and I add in checking my first aid kit as well, and in general think about our overall safety preparedness.
Your experience and the outcome due to being prepared are a prime example of how important it really is.
Equally important is how you and your lady "divided & conquered" with her calling 911 and providing them with information on your location, what was happening, and contact information while you addressed the situation - coordinating your efforts showed great teamwork!

Copied this from the NFPA website:

About Fire Prevention Week

Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

Again, very happy you're all safe!
Chris

[50ST8R]

We are going back to our checklists and see what remains plugged in when we travel and where we stow battery powered items. Glad to know you all are safe after your incident. Good reminder for us to look at what fire extinguishers and how many we have access to when we need them.

[howson]

We are going back to our checklists and see what remains plugged in when we travel and where we stow battery powered items. Glad to know you all are safe after your incident. Good reminder for us to look at what fire extinguishers and how many we have access to when we need them.

We've done the same--everything plugged in that may fall out and jam in a slide is now getting stowed as part of our departure checklist. Don't want to duplicate TucsonJim's experience!

[TucsonJim]

I just realized I never posted the resolution to our battery/floor fire. Right after the fire, we spent a few hours cleaning up the fire extinguisher powder with a shop vac and swiffer. We sprayed all the furniture and blinds with Febreeze to deodorize the smoke smell.

Next, I cut out the damaged vinyl flooring and used a Dremel tool to grind away any burned area in the sub-floor. Fortunately, the battery did not burn all the way through the subfloor.

I patched and leveled the subfloor with Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty and let it dry overnight.

I removed a section of flooring from the basement and used it to harvest a patch for the living room. Vinyl repair is pretty specialized work, and I won't go into detail on how I did it. If you ever want information on how to patch a floor, send me a PM and we can work through it.

My final step was to cut some rubber material to make a new floor for the basement area.

Here's the final result.



I made sure to show the new owners the patch which they had a hard time finding.

Jim

[Jimmer]

Wow! Amazing work!!!

[50ST8R]

Hey TucsonJim what adhesive do you use for the vinyl. We have a spot I have been arguing with myself about fixing. Just a small square from an initial trip where a rock got under the slide roller and gouged a whole in the floor.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Looks good. You have mad skills Jim!

[TucsonJim]

Hey TucsonJim what adhesive do you use for the vinyl. We have a spot I have been arguing with myself about fixing. Just a small square from an initial trip where a rock got under the slide roller and gouged a whole in the floor.

For large sheet vinyl attachment, any sheet vinyl adhesive should do nicely. Something along the lines of this:
https://www.amazon.com/Henry-FP00356...7592893&sr=8-4

For the edges or small patches, I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Polyu...70&sr=8-3&th=1

When using either adhesive, it's important to use a seam roller to get the air out of the patch, then place a heavy weight on the patch until it cures.

Jim