Families warned of e-device danger ahead of Christmas

Families are urged to be wary when buying lithium battery-powered devices this Christmas.
Fire crews in NSW have responded to 180 fires caused by batteries this year, up from just 16 in 2021.
A golf club Ray Hadley attends yesterday announced on advice provided by its insurer, it could no longer store members’ lithium battery-powered buggies in light of two fires at other clubs.
In April, a blaze that broke out at the Lakes Golf Club in Sydney’s south-east caused almost $1 million in damage, while the buggy storage area at Manly Golf Club was set alight by a battery charger in August.
“The deal with the golf clubs is they store your clubs, there’s a fee involved, and then they have the lithium battery there, they charge it,” Ray said.
“[It wasn’t] until I got the note from the golf club yesterday that I started to really ponder, leading into Christmas, what we need to do.”
Fire and Rescue NSW Assistant Commissioner Trent Curtin said there’s a number of things buyers can do to reduce the chance of fires breaking out in their homes.
Press PLAY below to hear what precautions you should take ahead of the holiday season
Images:NSW Fire and Rescue