Warnings after fire caused by lithium battery at bathroom showroom in Castleford

Firefighters have reiterated warnings about lithium batteries after a bathroom showroom was left gutted when a power tool exploded.

Trade Bathroom and Tiles Ltd, on Saville Road, in Castleford, West Yorkshire, was extensively damaged when fire took hold on 28 April last year.

The incident happened after a lithium battery-powered tool was left charging overnight and overheated.

Dave Walton, deputy chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are seeing an increase in lithium battery fires, especially as e-bikes and e-scooters become more popular.

"Lithium batteries are in lots of everyday items from vaping devices and electric toothbrushes to mobile phones and laptops. The public need to be aware of the dangers as lithium is highly flammable and particularly dangerous because of the battery's high energydensity.

"People need to be careful when charging these batteries and to ensure they are recycled properly and not disposed of with general household waste."

Owners Sandra and Paul Marchington were called by fire crews in the early hours of the morning when the blaze started.

"We knew it wasn’t good news,” Sandra said. “We live 15 minutes away and as we drove there we could see the smoke and flames. The end of the road was closed off and there were fire engines all over the place. They had cut the shutters to get into the building, and 50 of them were busy fighting the fire when we arrived.

"It was amazing to watch all the firefighters working together so efficiently while wewatched on, totally bewildered. At one point one of the firefighters came out and tookher helmet off and said ‘Wow it’s a warm one’ and that was when it hit me and I burstinto tears. I’ve got two daughters and to think these people were going into a burningbuilding just got to me."

After a 10-month recovery effort, the business, which has been trading for 26 years, will reopen this weekend. Sandra said: "We gutted the building, there was no roof or walls, but thankfully the brickwork was safe. My husband Paul has replanned the whole showroom.

"We are excited to finally have the doors open and welcome the public back."

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