Several small landfill fires happened at the Salina Municipal Landfill in Kansas early this week, and officials have been able to determine the main cause.
Salina Public Works released a statement that says the fires were caused as a “direct result of a few dozen Lithium, Ni-Cad, and alkaline batteries” that were thrown away in one load at the landfill.
The statement also mentions how Lithium batteries have a been known to start fires when they are impacted by machinery at landfills or in the trucks as they’re being transported.
Also mentioned in the statement was the U.S. Consumer Produce Safety Commission’s Status Report on High Energy Destiny Batteries Project reported in Feb. 2018 that over 25,000 fire incidents or overheating issues involving more than 400 types of lithium battery-powered consumer products happened over a five-year period.