BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is warning members of the public of the dangers of leaving large Lithium-ion batteries to charge unattended after they have caused multiple fires in Berrien County recently. 

"There have been multiple Li-Ion battery related structure fires in Berrien County recently," the BHDPS said. "Please never charge a scooter or other eMobility device unattended inside a house or while sleeping."

Tips from Electronics Recycling Specialist at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Steve Noble:

• Recycle batteries properly. Participate in your local household hazardous waste (HHW) [link] collection or find a retailer that accepts Li-ion batteries for recycling.
• Tape the terminal of the batteries in preparation for recycling them. Don’t store lithium batteries outside of their protective packaging when they’re not being used and stored. This will prevent terminals sparking.
• Prevent breakage and damage by keeping them in their original packaging or in the product that uses the Li-ion battery until they are ready to be recycled.

“Because they are ‘reactive and hold more charge,’ lithium-ion batteries can easily spark and cause a fire when they are damaged or improperly charged," Nobel said. "They also pose a fire risk if the battery breaks and is exposed to air, which causes the battery to ignite and burn at a very high temperature.”