Fire Prevention Week: battery safety and an Oct. 10 open house

Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, which serves the Orting area, is marking Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4–10. This year's theme is safe charging of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in phones, laptops, tools, e-bikes and scooters.

The district cited a local case: on Aug. 25 a lawn-equipment battery that had been left on its charger for days started a house fire in Spanaway. A monitored smoke alarm caught it early. Safety tips:

• Use the charger that came with the device or one the maker approves.
• Charge on a hard surface, away from fabric, paper and furniture.
• Stop using a battery that swells, leaks, smells odd or gets unusually hot.
• Unplug when charging is done, and don't charge e-bikes or scooters where they block an exit.
• Don't put rechargeable batteries in household trash or recycling.

Open house: Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at Station 72, 3809 5th St. SE, Puyallup. It includes kitchen fire safety, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, battery recycling, and how and when to call 911.