Recently, there have been a series of incidents where fires occurred while charging electric scooter and bicycle batteries, as well as camping batteries, inside homes. While there are concerns about the dangers of charging batteries indoors, charging them outdoors is often impractical. Experts advise avoiding charging while out or while sleeping to prevent overcharging, which is noted as a cause of fires.
According to the Busan Northern Police Station on the 28th, the National Forensic Service identified the cause of a fire that occurred on the 2nd floor of an apartment in Maduk-dong, Buk-gu on the 13th of last month as an electric scooter battery pack. This fire resulted in the deaths of an elderly mother in her 80s and her son in his 50s.
On the 17th, a fire broke out in an apartment in Changjeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, resulting in the deaths of a mother in her 60s and two sons in their 20s. The firefighting authorities stated, "It is presumed that an explosion occurred in the battery pack of the detachable electric scooter, which was being charged inside the room."
Additionally, in June, an electric scooter exploded from overcharging inside a home in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province. In January, a fire occurred in an apartment in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do while an electric kickboard was being charged due to overcharging, resulting in severe burns for a man in his 60s.
According to the Fire Agency, there were a total of 678 incidents of domestic small lithium-ion battery fires from 2020 to 2024. Among these, 627 cases (92%) were caused by electric two-wheeled vehicle batteries.
Camping batteries are also prone to fires. On the 19th, a fire broke out in an apartment in Songnae-dong, Dongducheon, causing 37 residents to inhale smoke. The firefighting authorities presumed that the fire originated from a camping battery being charged inside the home. In March, another fire occurred in an apartment in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do while charging a camping battery, which did not result in any injuries but required 64 residents to evacuate.
These fires have a common characteristic of originating from lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density, are compact, charge quickly, and have a long lifespan. Once a fire starts, a phenomenon called 'thermal runaway' occurs, causing the temperature to rise up to 2000 degrees, making the fire difficult to extinguish.
Professor Lee Yong-jae from the Fire Safety Management Department at Kyungmin University said, "Electric scooter and kickboard batteries sometimes lack sufficient systems to prevent overcharging," and emphasized, "One should develop the habit of not charging them when going out or while sleeping to avoid overcharging."
He further noted, "In Korea, where many people live in multi-family housing, charging outside the home can reduce fire damage. However, there is a lack of outdoor public battery charging facilities, and discussions are needed about who will bear the expense if installations are attempted."