Battery Explodes Inside Garbage Truck, 1 Hospitalized: North Haven FD

NORTH HAVEN, CT — One person was hospitalized after a battery exploded inside a garbage truck and started a fire Friday morning in North Haven, according to fire officials.

Firefighters responded around 10:30 a.m. on May 2 on the report of a garbage truck fire on lower Quinnipiac Avenue in North Haven, according to officials.

“Engines 1 and 2 were dispatched to the scene and follow-up reports indicated a Lithium Ion Battery had exploded in the garbage hopper,” officials wrote in a post on Facebook. “Fire units arrived on scene and found light smoke coming from the rear of the truck with bystanders wetting down the rear with a garden hose.

“The North Haven DPW garbage truck was on its route and was compacting the load when a large, hidden, and energized lithium ion battery contained in a plastic bag was crushed and exploded in the rear of the truck.”

The explosion caused non-life-threatening burn injuries to the driver and officials said medical care was immediately initiated by fire personnel from Engine 2.

“The battery was cooled and submerged on scene as it continued to go into ‘thermal runaway,’ a condition where adjacent battery cells heat and off gas,” officials wrote. “The New Haven Area Special Hazards Team provided equipment and support to North Haven Fire department units on scene. The battery was packaged in a special containment barrel and removed from the site for proper disposal.”

One person was hospitalized for evaluation, according to officials.

“The North Haven Fire Department and Department of Public Works remind all residents that larger, energized Lithium Ion batteries such as those in vehicles and mobility devices must be recycled and should NOT be disposed of with household waste in trash cans due to risks of fire and explosion,” officials wrote.

The fire department also shared safety information on batteries. Read more here.