Lockport, N.Y. (WBEN) The fire caused by the charging of electronic tablets at a Lockport school on Sunday is an important reminder to all of us about our devices.
The Lockport Fire Department responded to Emmet Belknap Intermediate School on High Street after a fire alarm had been activated on the second floor of the school.
Crews managed to extinguish the fire quickly and keep it contained to one classroom. But a total of four classrooms were affected, either by smoke or water damage. As a result, classes at the school were canceled Monday.
"We found 3 or 4 tablets stacked on top of each other, touching each other, in a plastic divider," said Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano.
"We could only conclude because of the proximity of these devices together, and the heat that is generated during charging, that one of the batteries overheated and went into thermal runaway." That's a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state and can result in smoke and fire.
Quagliano said the devices come with a warning that they require space for heat to dissipate, especially while charging.
The biggest issue, he said, is that you don't really know if anything is going wrong, until it's too late.
"Most people probably don't think too much of plugging a device in, and leaving it overnight. Or, he added, "leaving chargers plugged in for long periods of time."
Quagliano stressed to not leave chargers plugged-in for long periods of time.
And to charge devices, if possible, during the day, when you're awake. "When you leave them unattended overnight, or for long periods of time, that's when we tend to see the most problems."
There were no injuries in the fire at Emmet Belknap. Plans on Monday were to reopen the school on Tuesday. Parents would be notified by the district if those plans change.
The fire caused approximately $300,000 in damage to the school.