Thermal Runaway Explained: Why Standard Fire Equipment Won't Save You in a Lithium Battery Fire

Friday Blog Post - Understanding Thermal Runaway

Not All Fires Are Created Equal

When most people think about fire safety, they picture a standard fire extinguisher mounted on a wall or a wool blanket tucked under the kitchen sink. For most household fires, that equipment works well.

But lithium-ion battery fires are fundamentally different. They involve a self-sustaining chemical reaction that burns hotter, faster, and more unpredictably than a conventional fire. Standard equipment simply isn't designed to handle them — and using the wrong tools can make a bad situation worse.

With Australia's EV market growing rapidly — electric vehicle sales hit approximately 110,000 units in 2024, representing 9.5% of all new car sales — and lithium-ion batteries now powering everything from e-bikes to home energy storage systems, understanding this difference isn't just useful knowledge. It's critical safety awareness.

What Is Thermal Runaway?

Thermal runaway is the technical term for what happens when a lithium-ion battery cell fails catastrophically. It occurs when a cell overheats beyond its stability threshold, triggering a chain reaction that can spread to adjacent cells. Here's what makes it so dangerous:

  • Self-sustaining reaction: Unlike a conventional fire that needs external fuel and oxygen, thermal runaway generates its own heat and oxygen internally. This means it can continue burning even when submerged in water.
  • Extreme temperatures: Battery fires can reach temperatures exceeding 1,000°C, far beyond what standard fire blankets or extinguishers are rated to handle.
  • Toxic off-gassing: Failing batteries release a cocktail of toxic and flammable gases, including hydrogen fluoride. These gases are dangerous to inhale and can create explosive vapour clouds.
  • Reignition risk: Even after a battery fire appears extinguished, damaged cells can reignite hours or even days later. This creates an ongoing hazard that requires specialist containment.
  • Jet-like flames: In some thermal runaway events, the escaping gases ignite and produce jet-like directional flames that can project outward, making approach dangerous.

Australia's leading EV fire research organisation, EV FireSafe — funded by the Australian Department of Defence — has verified approximately 511 EV battery fires globally since 2010. Their research, along with work by the Austroads EV Incident Response Framework, confirms that thermal runaway events require fundamentally different response techniques compared to conventional vehicle fires.

How Common Are EV Battery Fires in Australia?

It's important to keep perspective. Research consistently shows that electric vehicles are significantly less likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel cars. Data from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency indicates the fire rate for EVs is roughly 20 times lower than for internal combustion engine vehicles. As of early 2025, there had been only 10 verified EV battery fires in Australian road-registered passenger vehicles during normal use.

However, the real and rapidly growing risk lies in smaller lithium-ion devices. E-bikes, e-scooters, power tools, vapes, portable chargers, and home energy storage systems are responsible for the vast majority of lithium battery fires. Queensland alone recorded 240 battery fire incidents in 2025, with e-mobility devices accounting for the largest share.

As CSIRO battery technology expert Dr Adam Best has noted, even a tiny failure rate across billions of batteries in circulation translates to a significant number of incidents. And many of the devices flooding the Australian market come from manufacturers that don't meet Australian safety standards.

Why You Need Specialist Equipment

Here's what happens when you try to fight a lithium-ion battery fire with standard equipment:

  • Standard fire blankets are typically rated for temperatures far below what a battery fire produces. They can melt, burn through, or fail to contain the fire.
  • Standard dry chemical extinguishers may knock down visible flames temporarily but cannot stop the internal thermal runaway process. The fire reignites once the chemical dissipates.
  • Water alone can help cool surrounding cells and slow the spread, but requires enormous volumes — fire crews often use tens of thousands of litres on a single EV fire. A household bucket won't do it.

Purpose-built lithium-ion fire safety equipment is engineered specifically for these scenarios:

  • EV fire extinguishers use specialised agents that cool the battery cells and interrupt the thermal runaway chain reaction, buying critical time for evacuation and emergency response.
  • EV fire blankets are manufactured from high-temperature-resistant materials that can withstand the intense heat of a battery fire, containing flames and limiting the spread to surrounding property.
  • Lithium-ion containment bags provide a safe way to isolate a suspect or damaged battery, preventing a fire from starting or containing one that has already begun.

Who Needs This Equipment?

The short answer: anyone who owns, manages, or works around lithium-ion battery-powered devices. Specifically:

  • EV owners — for your garage, charging area, or vehicle
  • E-bike and e-scooter owners — for wherever you charge and store your device
  • Strata and facility managers — for common property, car parks, and charging zones
  • Fleet operators — for depots, warehouses, and vehicle bays
  • Workplaces using power tools — for workshops, construction sites, and storage areas
  • Homeowners with solar battery systems — for safe protection of home energy storage

Remember: fires double in size every 60 seconds. Having the right equipment within arm's reach when a lithium battery fire starts can mean the difference between a controlled incident and a total loss.

Take Action Before You Need To

At EV Fire Solutions, we're dedicated to providing Australians with future-ready fire protection for the electric age. Every product in our range is specifically designed for lithium-ion battery fire scenarios — because when thermal runaway strikes, standard equipment won't cut it.

Explore our full range:

Free shipping Australia-wide.

Shop now and protect what matters →

Sources: EV FireSafe verified global incident database; Austroads EV Incident Response Framework; CSIRO lithium-ion battery safety research; Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency fire rate data; Queensland Fire Department 2025 statistics; Electric Vehicle Council of Australia.

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