A cell phone caught on fire inside a Bentworth High School classroom on Monday morning.
The Bentworth School District said a lithium ion battery in a student’s cell phone caught on fire, prompting an evacuation for part of the building.
The Bentleyville Fire Department said it was called to the school shortly before 9 a.m. “It appeared the lithium ion battery located inside the cell phone failed causing the battery to go into ‘thermal runaway,'” the department explained.
Washington County hazmat was called to the scene so they could put the phone “into a safe metal container packed with Cell Block,” the fire department said.
(Photo: Bentleyville Fire-Rescue/Facebook)
Authorities said seven patients were checked out by EMS, but they all declined transport to the hospital. After confirming there were no hazardous materials in the air, the school district said students returned to class, though the two classrooms directly impacted by the fire were closed for the rest of the day.
Lithium ion batteries — which are used in devices like laptops, phones and e-bikes — are flammable because they store a lot of energy in a small amount of space, the National Fire Protection Association explains on its website.
“When that energy is released in an uncontrolled manner, it generates heat, which can turn certain internal battery components into flammable and toxic gases,” the association says.
The Bentworth School District superintendent says Monday’s fire “serves as an important learning experience regarding the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries and the potential safety risks associated with them.”
