Mazda RX-7 Set Ablaze by Lithium-Ion Battery Trickle Charging in the Trunk

Lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish, but the problem isn’t limited to electric vehicles. As the owner of a 1982 Mazda RX-7 recently found out, a lithium-ion 12-volt battery keeps burning and burning and burning in the unlikely event that it’s set ablaze.

The incident happened on March 25 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Firefighters responded to a call about a car burning in someone’s driveway shortly after 8 p.m. The coupe was in the garage when the fire started, but the owners smelled the fire and acted quickly. They disconnected the trickle charger hooked to the battery and pushed the car into the driveway to ensure it didn’t take the house with it. Tragically, said trickle charger might have been to blame.

Generally speaking, trickle chargers work great for lead acid, NiCad, and NiMH batteries; however, they aren’t suitable for lithium-ion batteries. That’s because they force a certain level of current into the battery no matter the state of charge, which can damage the lithium-ion cells if they’re already fully juiced. It’s important to note that the trickle charger hasn’t been confirmed as the cause of the fire, but it looks like a strong possibility.

Regardless, putting out the fire was easier said than done. The owner emptied two small dry-chemical fire extinguishers over the flames, and firefighters tried using water, but the battery continued to burn even after it was removed from the trunk and set on the ground.

Photos published on Facebook by the Lancaster Township Fire Department show that the RX-7 sustained quite a bit of fire-related damage. Most of it appears to be in the trunk; the flames seemingly didn’t reach the engine, so hopefully, the car will be saved. If it could talk, it might shrug this off with a “been there, done that” attitude. The owner told firefighters that he’s been restoring the RX-7 for more than 17 years and that it has already caught fire once. There’s no word on why it caught fire the first time or how extensive the damage was, however.

The moral of the story? Always keep a fire extinguisher in your garage, and make it sure it’s up to the job.

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