RC-Monster Forums - Scary Lipo Fire - Thought I might be moving into Lincs basement.

Had a pair of 3s lipos go up in huge flames while charging in the back room. I Put a pair of 3s 5000mah Turnigy charging as 6s 5000mah @ 5amp on the charger. I've been lazy and haven't fixed the balancing taps on either so it had been a while since they were balanced. I told myself the night before that I need to get the balancer working on those. I must not have listened cuz I still hooked them up to the charger without balancing them.

I was in the kitchen working on an RC when I heard this strange hissing coming for the back room. My first thought was one of my dogs had the runs and was trying to shit through the screen door. Telling myself not to puke when I see the mess. I walked to the door way and saw smoke shooting out of the lipos and then a flame shot out of the smoke. It must have been 40' high and just as wide! I nearly shit through the screen door myself when I saw it! I remember just repeating "Oh Shit!" over and over the hole time. It was on the workbench (pics below) when it started. I grabbed the red fire extinguisher which was right there at the door way to the back room. I reached for the pin to pull and there wasn't one. I pull the trigger and nothing. No even a dribble, drop, or puff out of it. The little red headed pecker wasn't eve shooting blanks. Oh, shit! Kept coming out of my mouth and I am thinking my house is going to burn to the ground! I'm going to be living in Lincs basement with the midgets, donkey, and Nitrostarter! The place was filling up with smoke fast. I got a good inhale of those fumes and that damn near knocked me on my ass. I tried not to inhale the smoke, but some habits are hard to break. I figured I at least needed to get it away from the wall and other batteries I had up there. I grab the closest thing (a towel) and threw it over the flames and knocked the home wreckers onto the floor for to try and buy a little more time to pack myself some clean underwear. The other cells were starting to join the party at this point. Flames were getting bigger and well what can I say "Oh, shit!" I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the WHITE First Alert fire extinguisher. I was glad to see there was a pin that was needed to be removed. Although every second it took me trying to get it out seemed like minutes. I got back in there to see another cell shoot it load allover the place. I covered it and the whole back room, kitchen, and about every other nook and cranny in this place with fire extinguisher dust. That crap is everywhere, and well the house doesn't smell like wet dogs anymore. I got the flames down and grabbed the towel and scooped them out into the yard. I wasn't sure if it was done unloading or just taking a breather. There weren’t any more big flames shooting out from under the towel. Just some smoke signals as the white towel started showing signs of the heat. Turning a nice dark brown like my underwear. They kept smolder for a long time until I got a chance to change them. Between the smoke and fire ext dust my eyes feel like crap. Itch and feels like a paste or mud in them. Well that was Monday morning when it happened. I didn't realize till late last tonight that one of the 4s 5000mah zippy was missing. I couldn't find it in any of the usual places so I went and checked the ship yard for any remains or ashes of the missing lipo. Sure enough it was out there and still is. Not a pile of ash though likes the other two. Still has some resemblance of a lipo but I think the outer cells on it are damaged. It was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A 4s Flight Power was sitting close to the flames. It lost if clear plastic. The day before I had just gathered up all my loose wires and connectors/adapter that I made or had for hooking what ever together. So I could go through and organize them. That pile was pretty messed up. A voltage meter from Harbor Freight got burned up on the outside but it still works. A couple small lipo RX pack got in the way along with a BEC and my custom make by Guy adapters were melted.

Needles to say I got too casual with the care of my lipos. DON'T let this happen to you guys. It could of just been a fluke, bad connection, or a pissed off ex-wife. Whatever it was it was a serious wake up call for me. I've put lipos on the charger and ran to the store before. With that intense of flames coming out of them. I am sure the place would have gone up in flames if I wouldn't have gotten it off the bench at the halftime break. Here are some pics and just to save you all some time. I know what I should have done so you can save the post telling me. "You should of........

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...poFire2001.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...poFire1002.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...0fire/MRC1.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LipoFire10.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LipoFire15.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LipoFire17.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LipoFire18.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...LipoFire16.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c.../LipoFire8.jpg

MY HERO and would also like to thank the sacrificial towel! It's nice to have a roof over my head.

ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT LIPO FIRES.