MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) – Two 9-volt batteries coming in contact with each other while being stored caused a small fire at a Mount Olive home Friday.
There was minimal damage but if the homeowners were not home, it could have been much worse, officials said.
Now, Mount Olive Township Fire Marshals are warning residents to properly store them.
Since 9-volt batteries positive and negative posts are close together, if a metal object touches the two posts, it can cause a short circuit and this can make enough heat to start a fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
It’s unsafe to store 9-volt batteries in a drawer near paper clips, coins, pens, or other batteries. Do not store common household items such as steel wool, aluminum foil, and keys near 9-volt batteries. If these items touch the two posts, there is a greater risk of a fire starting. Weak batteries may have enough charge to cause a fire. Some fires have started in trash when 9-volt batteries were thrown away with other metal items.
The National Fire Protection Association offers these tips on how to store 9-volt batteries:
- Keep batteries in original packaging until you are ready to use them. If loose, keep the posts covered with masking, duct, or electrical tape. Prevent the posts from coming in contact with metal objects
- Keep them someplace safe where they won’t betossed around.
- Store batteries standing up.
- 9-volt batteries should not be stored loose in a drawer.
The batteries should not be thrown away with trash since they can come in contact with other batteries or pieces of metal. The 9-volt batteries should be taken to a collection site for household hazardous waste.
