{"id":103097,"date":"2025-01-13T12:39:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T10:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo"},"modified":"2025-01-20T13:55:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T11:55:43","slug":"lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo","title":{"rendered":"Lithium Batteries Blamed For Dozens Of Fires In Bulawayo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>The adoption of solar energy and lithium batteries, often hailed as safe and environmentally friendly alternatives, has been linked to a rise in fire incidents in Bulawayo in 2024.<\/p>\n

With rooftops across the eastern and western areas of Bulawayo increasingly covered in solar panels, many residents are turning to these alternative energy sources to cope with the country\u2019s prolonged load-shedding.<\/p>\n

However, this shift to solar and lithium battery-powered solutions has coincided with a disturbing surge in fire incidents in Zimbabwe\u2019s second-largest city.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Chronicle, Bulawayo Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo revealed that 32 fires in the city were caused by lithium batteries in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n

The growing number of homes and businesses destroyed by fires from exploding lithium batteries has become a significant concern for the Fire Brigade. Said Moyo:<\/p>\n

The City of Bulawayo Fire and Ambulance Services is deeply concerned about the upsurge of property fires involving lithium solar batteries.<\/p>\n

With the recent power outages and load shedding in the city, and the country in general, residents are resorting to installing solar systems, which are environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the Fire Brigade recorded an upsurge in property fires resulting in serious loss of property caused by exploding lithium-ion solar batteries.<\/p>\n

The lithium-ion batteries are either overcharged or they overheat, leading to explosions. The explosions caused by the overcharged or overheating batteries\u2019 ferocity and intense heat give the Fire Brigade serious challenges in extinguishing the fires.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the Fire Brigade attended seven fire calls in the city\u2019s central business district, five in the industrial area, and 20 in residential areas such as Suburbs, Hillside, Matsheumhlope, Manningdale, Mahatshula, and others.<\/p>\n

The common factor in all 32 fire incidents was the explosion of lithium solar batteries, a phenomenon that Moyo attributed to overheating and overcharging. Said Moyo:<\/p>\n

The most common causes of lithium batteries exploding are overheating and overcharging. When a lithium battery is overcharged, too much voltage causes it to overheat, leading to explosions and subsequently a breakout of fire.<\/p>\n

Damaged batteries can also release flammable electrolytes, increasing the risk of a fire. Exposing the batteries to high temperatures can also lead to explosions.<\/p>\n

Residents must ensure that lithium batteries are managed well when charging and that the changeover switch is working properly.<\/p>\n

We also recommend frequent inspection of lithium batteries for signs of damage, as well as ensuring that the battery handling and storage areas are dry, cool, well-ventilated, and free from high levels of humidity,.<\/p>\n

The Fire Brigade has urged residents to avoid purchasing lithium batteries and accessories from unverified companies and manufacturers.<\/p>\n

They also recommended that residents install safety devices, such as alarms, to notify them when national grid electricity is restored. Said Moyo:<\/p>\n

Understanding that lithium batteries pose a danger when installed incorrectly or not handled properly is important for residents to prevent fires in their homes.<\/p>\n

For example, the fires in Suburbs, Matsheumhlope, and Pro-Dairy Products premises were all caused by explosions from the lithium solar batteries.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe is grappling with an electricity crisis caused by low water levels at Lake Kariba, which have significantly reduced the output of the Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station, a key source of electricity.<\/p>\n

In addition, the Hwange Thermal Power Plant has been plagued by frequent breakdowns, further diminishing the country\u2019s power generation capacity.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The adoption of solar energy and lithium batteries, often hailed as safe and environmentally friendly alternatives, has been linked to a rise in fire incidents in Bulawayo in 2024. With rooftops across the eastern and western areas of Bulawayo increasingly covered in solar panels, many residents are turning to these alternative energy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":103096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[6389,13485,6579,19],"class_list":["post-103097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-fire-brigade","tag-lithium-batteries","tag-solar-energy","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nLithium Batteries Blamed For Dozens Of Fires In Bulawayo - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The adoption of solar energy and lithium batteries, often hailed as safe and environmentally friendly alternatives, has ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lithium Batteries Blamed For Dozens Of Fires In Bulawayo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The adoption of solar energy and lithium batteries, often hailed as safe and environmentally friendly alternatives, has ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-13T10:39:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-20T11:55:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/sm_1736759706.183399.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Lithium Batteries Blamed For Dozens Of Fires In Bulawayo\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-13T10:39:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-20T11:55:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\"},\"wordCount\":568,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2025\/01\/sm_1736759706.183399.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Fire Brigade\",\"Lithium batteries\",\"Solar Energy\",\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/lithium-batteries-blamed-for-dozens-of-fires-in-bulawayo\",\"name\":\"Lithium Batteries Blamed For Dozens Of Fires In Bulawayo - 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