Warnings to be careful after a string of fires was linked to lithium-ion batteries.  

Scrap metal company Sims Metal has been fined $30 thousand over a 2023 fire that released toxic smoke near Ōtāhuhu. 

A massive blaze at a recycling plant near Glenfield last month was also linked to lithium-ion batteries, as well as a number of fires breaking out in rubbish trucks across the city. 

Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Community Education Manager Tom Ronaldson told Kerre Woodham that lithium-ion batteries are perfectly safe, as long as they’re used correctly. 

He says you should only be charging devices while you’re awake, and unplugged as soon as they’re fully charged. 

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