The battery pack of a cordless drill sparked an apartment fire Sunday night in Lakewood that caused an estimated $50,000 in damages and displaced one family.
The fire, which started when a lithium-ion battery pack malfunctioned, was reported by West Metro Fire Rescue along with a warning about the potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries. No one was injured in the fire, but one family was displaced, said Ronda Scholting, a fire department spokeswoman.
The family was home when the fire ignited on Sunday night and fire crews were able to arrive quickly and extinguish it, she said.
The lithium-ion battery was charging on a kitchen counter in an apartment building near 12th Avenue and Yarrow Street when it ignited, Scholting said.
“It went into what they call a thermal runaway, which means it overheats and then it ignites,” she said.
Various things on the kitchen counter caught fire after the battery overheated, Scholting said.
A lithium-ion battery pack failure sparked a fire Sunday night at an apartment building near 12th Avenue and Yarrow Street in Lakewood. The battery was plugged into a charger when it went into thermal runaway- rapidly overheating and igniting nearby combustibles.
When West Metro… pic.twitter.com/rSCzVHGj7x— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) December 8, 2025
Lithium-ion batteries power a variety of everyday devices, including laptop computers, cell phones, power tools, toothbrushes, electric bicycles and scooters and electric vehicles.
The batteries store a lot of energy in a compact place, elevating the risk of fire if used improperly, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
As people buy more and more rechargeable devices, the risk of lithium-ion battery fires is on the rise, Scholting said.
In late September and early October, two fires in the south Denver Metro were caused by lithium-ion batteries, according to a report from Fox31. Seven people were displaced from two homes because of those fires.
To avoid battery fires, Scholting and the fire protection association offer the following tips:
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
- Use the charger and cord that comes with the product and buy replacements from the product manufacturer or make sure they are approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
- Don’t overcharge a battery by leaving it plugged in overnight or once it is charged.
- Don’t charge or store devices near exit doors.
- If a rechargeable device swells, hisses or smells odd, stop using it.
- Lithium-ion batteries should be recycled, not thrown in household garbage.
- Use at room temperature and avoid charging during extreme heat or cold.
- Store batteries away from anything flammable.
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