When a lithium-ion battery fire makes the news, it's almost always an e-bike or e-scooter. But the batteries most of us live closest to aren't in the garage — they're on the desk, the bench and the bedside table. Laptops, tablets, power banks and cordless tool packs run on exactly the same chemistry, and they spend hours charging unattended indoors. That's the risk worth planning for.

The devices you're not worried about

Rechargeable lithium-ion cells now sit inside most phones, laptops, tablets, power banks, e-bikes, e-scooters and power tools (ACCC, 2026). They're compact, powerful and, the overwhelming majority of the time, completely safe. The problem is what happens on the rare occasion one fails — and which of these devices we treat casually.

Australia's consumer regulator has been clear that everyday electronics are a real part of the picture, not a footnote: when the ACCC reviewed its lithium-ion recalls, most related to ordinary consumer products such as laptops (ACCC, 2022). Power banks have become a particular concern — the ACCC estimates around 34,000 recalled units are still in people's bags and drawers, and notes that most power-bank fires happen while the unit is charging a phone or device, which means a person is usually right beside it when it lets go (ACCC, 2025).

The numbers are climbing — here and overseas

Fire and Rescue NSW describes lithium-ion batteries as the fastest-growing fire risk in the state, attending more than 300 battery fires in 2024 — roughly one every day — and recording the state's first deaths linked to these fires that year (Fire and Rescue NSW, 2025). About one in every hundred fires the service attends now involves a lithium-ion battery or battery device (Fire and Rescue NSW, 2024).

It's the same story in the world's most closely watched cities. In New York, the FDNY now treats lithium-ion batteries as a leading cause of fires and fire deaths, tracing 277 fires to them in 2024 (Fire Department of the City of New York, 2025). In the UK, London Fire Brigade responded to more than 400 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2024 — more than four times the 2020 figure (London Fire Brigade, 2024). The devices differ by city, but the driver is identical: more rechargeable batteries, charging in more places, more often.

What actually goes wrong

Inside every cell is a flammable electrolyte. If a battery is damaged, faulty, over-charged or exposed to heat, it can enter thermal runaway — a self-sustaining reaction where one overheating cell drives the next, releasing intense heat, toxic gas and flame (ACCC, 2022). These fires burn extremely hot, can reignite hours later, and are notoriously hard to put out with a standard extinguisher or a splash of water.

The uncomfortable part for home and office use: a drawer, a laptop sleeve or an ordinary bag does nothing to slow that reaction. Once a cell on your desk fails, whatever is around it — paperwork, the desk itself, curtains, the car interior — is the next fuel.

A simple, low-effort layer of protection

You can't inspect your way to zero risk, but you can decide where a failure is allowed to happen. That's the whole idea behind a fireproof containment bag: a pouch of silicone-coated fibreglass, rated to withstand instantaneous peaks up to 1100°C, that holds a battery in thermal runaway and stops the flame and radiant heat spreading to the room, bench or vehicle around it. It doesn't stop a battery failing — it stops that failure becoming a structure fire, and buys you the time to move clear and call 000.

For everyday tech, the practical form factor is a slim one that lies flat on a desk. Charge devices on it or in it, store spare cells and power banks inside it, and — most importantly — move any battery that shows a warning sign straight into it.

Five habits that lower the odds

• Buy from reputable suppliers and only use the charger supplied with the device (ACCC, 2026).
• Avoid charging laptops, power banks and tool batteries unattended overnight or on soft surfaces like beds and couches.
• Don't leave devices charging on the only path to your exit.
• Keep spare and damaged batteries in fireproof containment, not loose in a drawer.
• Recycle flat or faulty batteries through a proper drop-off — never the general waste bin.

This article is general safety guidance only and is not a substitute for professional fire-safety advice or the manufacturer's instructions for your device. In the event of a fire, evacuate immediately and call 000. Fireproof containment products are designed to contain and slow a thermal event — they do not replace emergency services.