County Issues Warning About Garbage Truck Fires Caused by Lithium-Ion Batteries

OLATHE, Kansas — According to a City of Olathe spokesman, the fire that destroyed one of their garbage trucks last week was caused by a lithium-ion battery.

Rechargeable electronics are among the things they think are a good reminder not to throw away.

Supervisor Grant Tarr of Olathe’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off says people need to be aware of the risks involved with dumping some items in the garbage. The drop-off is free for Johnson County, Kansas, residents and is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Due to thermal runaway, lithium “poses the biggest risk,” according to Tarr.

Following a fire at the KCK halfway home, one person died.
“These little guys that most people don’t think of in your key fobs and hearing aids are power tools, your computer batteries,” he remarked. “Your key fob’s small battery can start a fire in an instant.”

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To ensure that we absorb all of the heat, we will essentially begin to douse it and divide it. Captain Mike Hall of the Olathe Fire Department described battling the trash fire depicted in photos published by the city, saying, “And it’s kind of just a slow dirty process.”

The plan was to tell the driver to unload the cargo far from people and structures, but close to a fire hydrant.

Except for some multicolored sludge that is still adhering to the ground and almost serving as a warning, the debris has since been cleared away.

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Everything seems to have a rechargeable component these days, according to Hall.

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“Make sure you stop using that and then dispose of it properly if you have a rechargeable battery and it starts to have a little bit of an odor, maybe it gets hot, it discolors, it turns a little yellow, brown, whatever,” said Halls.

A new station is being built by the Kansas Fire District ahead of the new Panasonic facility. According to an Olathe representative, the driver’s swift effort saved the trash truck from total loss.