SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20130408-C16B3-2147457195. Severity: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received. Matched catalog product: Ryobi Ryobi Battery pack Model: P108 4ah, 72Wh. Source model text: Ryobi Lithium 18 V 4Ah Battery Pack. Incident: On April 6, 2013 the light in my home office flickered several times followed by a sound reminiscent of arcing of electricity. In a period of one to two minutes it reoccurred several times. Concerned, I looked out the window of the room and observed smoke exiting the attached garage from the side of the garage door. I immediately went into the garage thru a kitchen door and observed fire in the corner of the garage on a work bench where I had a Ryobi Battery and charger along with a few other tools. I grabbed a cheap red mop and began hitting the flames in an attempt to extinguish the fire. The mop broke and a grabbed a second mop. Eventually I was able to get the fire out but not before thick black smoke from the ceiling to about chest level was through the garage. I then exited the garage and called the 911. While waiting for the fire department, I opened the garage door to ventilate the smoke. By the time the fire department responded, the smoke had cleared and the firefighters checked to ensure the absence of further fire. They determined the cause of the fire to be the Ryobi charger and battery.