Spring Hill firefighters responded to two lithium-ion battery fires and a near-miss in a single week in late July. State officials are urging residents to rethink how they charge their devices as Fire Prevention Week gets underway.

Fire Prevention Week runs Sunday, Oct. 4, through Saturday, Oct. 10. The national theme is safe charging habits for lithium-ion batteries found in phones, e-bikes, power tools and scooters.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office are promoting the campaign alongside the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which has sponsored the observance for more than 100 years.

On July 27, a lithium-ion battery inside an electric lawnmower went into thermal runaway in the Wades Grove neighborhood, causing an explosion and a garage fire, WKRN News 2 reported. Spring Hill Fire Department crews from Station 4 arrived in less than three minutes. The homeowner had already used a fire extinguisher and a garden hose to fight the blaze and suffered minor burns.

Spring Hill Fire Chief Graig Temple told WKRN on July 28 that the lawnmower battery had not been used in several months but still held a charge. The older battery was not charging well and had been stored in a box in the garage rather than on its charger.

"These batteries, you need to treat them as they're volatile," Temple said in the July 28 interview with WKRN.

That incident was one of several in Spring Hill in 2026. A radio-controlled airplane battery exploded in early June, and a separate fire forced a family to flee their home after multiple vehicles caught fire outside, according to WKRN. Officials said that fire may also have involved lithium-ion battery thermal runaway.

Nationally, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported more than 25,000 fire or overheating incidents involving lithium-ion batteries between 2017 and 2022, according to WSMV. The NFPA said it does not yet track home fires involving the batteries separately but noted that reports from fire departments are increasing.

The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office recommends six practices, according to Maury County Source:

• Use the cord and charger that came with the device, or one approved by the manufacturer.
• Charge on a hard, flat surface such as a table or desk. Avoid beds, couches and pillows, where heat can become trapped.
• Stop using a device that becomes very hot, starts to swell, smokes or smells strange.
• Unplug devices when fully charged. Avoid leaving them plugged in longer than needed.
• Charge e-bikes, scooters and power tools outside and away from exits.
• When flying, keep devices visible while charging. Do not charge devices in overhead compartments or charge e-cigarettes on a plane.

Carter Lawrence, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and state fire marshal, said residents may have as little as two minutes to escape a home fire after a smoke alarm sounds. Working smoke alarms and an advance escape plan can make the difference.

Residents can find more charging safety information at fpw.org.