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.”

Local country music singer Paudie Coffey has expressed his gratitude to the “Kerry Gang” following his appearance in the Grand Final of TG4’s Glór Tíre on Tuesday night.

The 26-year-old Beaufort man was met with a wave of support from fans who travelled to the live broadcast wearing Kerry GAA jerseys and carrying homemade banners featuring his face.

“The Kerry Gang will be one of my favourite memories from all this,” Paudie said following the result. “It was great to see them here, because it just helped me take the final as a normal gig, because these are the people who are normally at my gigs every weekend. When I see them, it basically calms my nerves, and that’s a good thing. I’m very lucky to have them.”

During the live final, Paudie delivered performances of the Kenny Rogers classic ‘The Gambler’ and Isla Grant’s ‘We’ll Meet Again My Friends’.

While the title of Glór Tíre Champion ultimately went to County Down singer Jordan McPolin, the experience has significantly boosted Paudie’s profile on a national level.

Despite the result, the Beaufort singer is confident that his career is only moving forward. “This certainly won’t be the end of the road,” he stated. “With Glór Tíre, I’ve gained huge experience. What we’re trying to build up and what we’re trying to get now are the big gigs.”