Fire on JetBlue plane

schuster

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The news reports show this device as the source of the incident. Looks like a 2-cell cylindrical charger. Does anyone recognize the product?

lithium+batteries2-0531.jpg
 

Daniel_sk

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Why did he leave the batteries in the charger while stored in the backpack? :thinking:
 

scs

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Yet another F ing idiot attracting too much unwanted attention and heat to our beloved pastime.
 

parametrek

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Many airlines require that batteries be stored inside a device. They won't let loose cells on the plane. Still dumb.
 

Zak

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This article has a better picture. It's definitely an Efest SODA. The undamaged battery looks like an AWT 18650, and it's inserted into the charger backwards. The damaged battery is inserted in the correct orientation.
 

Nichia!

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Idiot... Now we will suffer more, like we needed this:(
 
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Gauss163

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Below are some higher res photos. Note that the AWT battery appears to be inserted with incorrect polarity. Could this possibly be related to the problem? Of course it is possible that someone placed it that way after the fire. It would be interesting to check how the eFest behaves in such a situation.

QvWNB.png


kWksQ.png
 
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TinderBox (UK)

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markr6

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LOL! I hate it when people don't pay my mistakes. My mistakes are good people; they have families to feed too :(
 

Monocrom

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Many airlines require that batteries be stored inside a device. They won't let loose cells on the plane. Still dumb.


Both you and scs have excellent points. They both screwed up royally! Keep the batteries in the flashlight. Don't use junk rechargeables. And if you're going to use a cheap charger with no proven track record for both reliability and safety, then keep a constant eye on it when a battery is in it.

Basic, simple rules that we all know. Unfortunately, you get some idiot who buys these things, has no clue what he's screwing around with, and now we're at the point where such idiots are putting other people's lives in genuine risk. Don't be surprised when airlines start banning all rechargeable batteries that aren't inside cellphones. When you have idiots screwing around with dangerous tech. that they have no clue is dangerous, such a policy actually makes sense.

Hell, I've got a Klarus single-bay charger/battery bank (C1 model). Better known company than eFest. Also charges up various sizes of batteries. Do I trust it? HELL NO! I use it at work and keep a constant eye on it. Unplug it immediately when the light turns green, and I use quality cells only. Nothing against Klarus. I just know how dangerous these cells can be. And a cheaper charger, no matter how useful it might be is still a cheap charger.
 
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recDNA

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The orange battery must be pretty good. Even the fire failed to cause it to vent. Wonder what brand the burned one is?

I've seen many people vaping with xfire batteries. I mean right in your mouth! Horrifying
 

vadimax

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The orange battery must be pretty good. Even the fire failed to cause it to vent. Wonder what brand the burned one is?

I've seen many people vaping with xfire batteries. I mean right in your mouth! Horrifying

Why I hate journalists? To make "nice" photo they are ready to fake the real event. The charred cell was NOT in the charger when it went ablaze! Pay attention to the photo: the charging slot is absolutely clear, but the left external wall of the charger is melted. What does that mean? That means that the cell was OUTSIDE of the charger.

And yes, this is THE journalist who inserted the charred cell wrong side in the charger.

The essence of journalism is here:

 
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Gauss163

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[...] Pay attention to the photo: the charging slot is absolutely clear, but the left external wall of the charger is melted. What does that mean? That means that the cell was OUTSIDE of the charger

That's only one of many possibilities. For example, some charger component may have burned, causing the melting on the wall of the charger, and that could have shorted out the cell. Or the cell (while in the charger) could have vented and ignited other items in the backpack which melted parts of the charger, etc, etc.

We are far from having enough evidence to make such deductions with any degree of confidence.
 
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Modernflame

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Many airlines require that batteries be stored inside a device. They won't let loose cells on the plane. Still dumb.

My question may be elementary, but why not simply transport batteries inside a plastic case? I won't carry a lithium ion cell anywhere unless it is stored inside a high quality O-ring sealed case like a delrin capsule from Oveready or the Cell Vault XL from Thyrm. I don't even use the industry standard plastic shipping containers for fear they could open unintentionally during transit.
 

scs

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My question may be elementary, but why not simply transport batteries inside a plastic case? I won't carry a lithium ion cell anywhere unless it is stored inside a high quality O-ring sealed case like a delrin capsule from Oveready or the Cell Vault XL from Thyrm. I don't even use the industry standard plastic shipping containers for fear they could open unintentionally during transit.

Saved space and it was convenient I guess. I suppose if he had insulated the terminals of the cells, with electrical tape for example, it would have been fine sitting in the charger. However, best practice is still to store it in a battery case or in the device it's meant for.
 

alpg88

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i wonder if putting one cell backwards, made the other go into reverse charge.
 
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