Fatal Lake Macquarie fire believed to be NSW’s first recorded lithium-ion battery deaths

Fire and Rescue NSW believe battery went into ‘thermal runaway’, killing two of Teralba townhouse’s occupants

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Fire and Rescue NSW is urging caution after what appears to be the state’s first recorded deaths in a lithium-ion battery-related fire last week.

About 4am on Thursday, four people were inside a townhouse at Teralba, in Lake Macquarie, when a fire broke out. FRNSW investigators believe a battery was compromised and went into “thermal runaway” – a process where a lithium-ion cell overheats and gives off toxic gases before exploding in flames.

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