M3 lorry blaze sparked by lithium-ion batteries

Crews from Surrey Fire and Rescue (SFR) battled the blaze on Wednesday (14 January) between junctions 3 and 4 northbound between Frimley and Lightwater.

SFR said the fire began in a 15-metre trailer, which was carrying mixed electrical waste.

At its peak there were three pumps and a water carrier in attendance to deal with the fire: “Crews are using specialist equipment, as lithium batteries are present among the waste within the trailer fire,” SFR said.

“The incident is producing large volumes of smoke and is expected to continue, with significant impact on the M3 motorway.”

In an update on 15 January, the fire service added: “Our crews left the scene at approximately 5:45pm yesterday. The incident was ongoing due to lithium-ion batteries being involved.

“All electrical waste and debris were removed yesterday, and the road fully reopened last night.

“Thank you to our colleagues and partners for their hard work during this complex incident.”

Emergency services have been warning for some time about the fire risk from lithium-ion batteries being thrown into waste. The risk is also set to increase due to the prevalence of large lithium batteries in eHGVs.

At the end of last month, Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service urged residents to dispose of batteries correctly after 25 firefighters attended an incident in Worksop after a fire started in a bin wagon.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a lithium-ion battery that was crushed during the collection process, igniting the contents of the lorry.

Station manager Matt Nash said: “We attend far too many incidents like this, and they are completely avoidable.

“Batteries, especially lithium-ion ones, can cause serious fires when damaged or crushed. We are asking residents to make it their New Year’s resolution to dispose of batteries correctly at designated recycling points.”

National Highways was approached for comment.