Overheating battery sparks fire in New Smyrna Beach

Take a look. This is what can happen to a lithium ion battery. Not good. It's just one of the batteries catching fire and exploding there in this video. Firefighters in New Smyrna Beach say a battery just like that one caused a condo building to be evacuated. Fox 35's Marlisa Goldsmith explains the warning signs you need to watch out for. Take a look at this picture of a charred chair in New Smyrna Beach. Firefighters say a lithium ion battery caught fire after it overheated while almost the charger. Explosions like this are actually a chain reaction. Cells inside the battery catch fire and spit out flames. There are some warning signs like swelling of the battery, excessive heat as well as unusual odors or leaking. Firefighters say even a damaged battery can be a ticking time bomb. You can't always tell that it's hot inside of the cell so if you have visible fire that's easy but sometimes the cell is still hot inside and it can even ignite hours. I think in some cases even days later. So it can be super dangerous as they hit that thermal runaway. Lithium ion batteries are used in things like phones, e-bikes and scooters. Experts say you don't need to ditch devices, but always use the correct charger. And if the battery feels unusually hot, you'll want to unplug it immediately. In the studio, Marlisa Goldsmith, Fox 35 News.