Family forced to flee as lithium-ion battery fire engulfs Forrestfield, Perth home

A family, including a one-year-old, was forced to flee their home in the dead of night as it became engulfed in flames, the 107th battery blaze to hit the state this year.

A family has been forced to flee their home in Perth’s south-east after it was engulfed in flames early on Saturday morning.

The Forrestfield home caught fire at around 3.30am, with the family narrowly escaping with their one-year-old and two dogs.

A 38-year-old man was hospitalised, reportedly with breathing issues.

Emergency responders from the WA Department of Fire & Emergency Services (DFES) brought the blaze at the Agincourt Dr home under control by 4.30am, however the house was completely destroyed.

A DFES spokesperson said that a crew with fire vehicles prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties.

The home was completely engulfed in flames. Picture: Nine News

Footage from the fire shows the home was completely torched, with windows shattered and the floor littered with debris.

Investigator Darryl Kramer told 9News the house was “100 percent damaged”.

The cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery back from a power tool.

It is the 107th house fire caused by the batteries in Western Australia this year alone.

“These are only the ones we know about, that we are being called to,” Mr Kramer said.

“It is a forever increasing risk to the community.”

A family has been forced to evacuate their home as it was engulfed in flames overnight in Forrestfield, south-east of Perth. Picture: Nine News

In WA, exploding batteries caused an average of three house fires a week, and have become the fastest growing house fire risk.

There were 166 total house fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in WA last year.

The shocking spike in incidents has sparked warnings from Consumer Protection WA to only buy regulated products from reputable suppliers, and to be cautious buying from marketplaces or second-hand.

These batteries are commonly found in laptops and phones, as well as e-bikes, e-scooters and power tools.

Originally published as Family forced to flee as lithium-ion battery fire engulfs Forrestfield, Perth home