Killarney Fire and Rescue has issued an urgent safety warning regarding the charging of devices containing lithium-ion batteries.

The alert covers a wide range of common household and professional items, including mobile phones, laptops, e-scooters, and modern power tools.

Fire officers have highlighted that these batteries consist of several individual cells. If a battery begins to overheat while charging, it can trigger a process where one cell ignites the next in rapid succession, leading to a significant fire.

Killarney Fire and Rescue Officer Paudie Mangan explained that the service recently attended a local fire caused by a laptop that had been left to charge for an excessive period.

The prolonged charging resulted in the battery cells overheating and starting the blaze.

The fire service is particularly concerned about the practice of charging high-capacity batteries, such as those found in e-scooters and power tools, inside residential buildings.

Tradespeople are also being warned not to leave tool batteries charging unattended for long periods.

“One fire we have attended was caused by an e-scooter charging in a cupboard under a stairs,” Officer Mangan stated. “Once the fire took off, the people had to jump out windows as flames blocked the stairs. Things like e-scooters and power tools should not be charged inside the home.”