Caution advised for overcharging

[Anchor]

Yes, there have been a series of incidents where fires have occurred while charging batteries of personal mobility devices, which are suspected to be the cause of this apartment fire.

For now, it is important to avoid overcharging and damage from impacts.

This is reporter Go Min-joo.

[Report]

This is an electric scooter with 12 lithium-ion batteries bundled together.

Assuming an overcharging situation, the battery temperature was raised to nearly 300 degrees.

Soon, smoke began to rise, followed by a fierce blaze.

A moment later, with a loud 'bang', it led to a series of explosions.

This is known as the 'thermal runaway' phenomenon.

The lithium-ion battery used in the experiment was severely damaged on the surface and charred.

This time, a hammer was used to strike an electric unicycle equipped with a lithium-ion battery.

In an instant, sparks flew, and the thermal runaway phenomenon appeared along with smoke.

When the battery is damaged by external impacts, the risk of fire increases significantly.

[Kim Hyun-gil/Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, Regional Fire Investigation Team: "(Batteries) are very easily exposed to impacts, so it is very important to manage stress from impacts. If (the battery) falls or is damaged in any way, it must be disposed of..."]

We also experimented with a power bank commonly used for mobile phones.

Five minutes after charging was completed, smoke began to emerge, and the battery swelled and caught fire.

In the past five years, there have been 612 fires involving personal mobility devices nationwide, with 51% attributed to overcharging.

The fire authorities advise that lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish completely with regular fire extinguishers or water, so it is recommended to use certified products equipped with overcharge protection devices or to disconnect the power immediately after charging is complete.

This is KBS News, Go Min-joo.