Norway's fire safety experts are issuing a stark warning after a family narrowly escaped a serious house fire on New Year's Eve. The blaze started in a plastic crate of used batteries stored in a basement in Lørenskog. Kari Loddengaard and Bjørn Stensrud were settling in for a quiet film night when their fire alarm sounded. A connected alarm system sent an immediate SMS alert, directing them to the basement where smoke was already filling the room. 'We are very glad we have such a solution, so we didn't have to waste time figuring out where the fire might be,' Loddengaard said.
Her husband, Bjørn, descended the stairs and found flames erupting from a plastic storage crate on a shelf. While Kari called the emergency services, Bjørn used a powder fire extinguisher kept in the basement to douse the flames. He then carried the burning crate outside. The local fire brigade arrived quickly to ventilate the area and confirm the fire was out. The damage was limited to the shelf and the crate itself, but the potential for disaster was immense. The basement, like many in Norwegian homes, contained cardboard boxes and other flammable materials.
A Common Hazard in Plain Sight
The couple quickly identified the cause: a collection of used batteries they were sorting for recycling. The batteries, stored together in a plastic ice cream container inside the crate, had short-circuited and ignited. 'It's the batteries that caught fire,' Loddengaard explained. The incident highlights a widespread but often overlooked danger in households. Used batteries, when stored loosely together, can cause terminals to connect. This creates a circuit, generating heat and potentially starting a fire, especially if they are stored near conductive materials like metal or other batteries.
Fire safety officials state that this type of incident is not uncommon. 'We see these cases periodically,' said Linda Stuvland, an information officer with the local fire and rescue service. 'People are doing the right thing by collecting batteries for recycling, but the way they are stored temporarily at home poses a significant risk.' The family had initially planned to go out for New Year's Eve but decided to stay home with their youngest son. 'That we chose to stay home, I am very glad for now,' Loddengaard reflected. 'It could have gone much worse if we hadn't been home and extinguished it quickly. Everything could have been destroyed.'
The Simple Tape Solution
In the aftermath, the family proactively visited their local fire station to share their story. Their goal is to warn others and promote a simple, life-saving habit: taping battery terminals. 'We are very grateful that they are doing this,' Stuvland said, commending the couple's public safety initiative. Fire experts unanimously recommend taping the positive (+) terminal of used batteries with clear adhesive tape before placing them in a non-conductive container for storage. This simple act prevents the terminals from coming into contact with each other or other metal objects, effectively neutralizing the fire risk.
Stuvland emphasizes that this applies to all common household batteries, from small button cells to larger AA and AAA batteries, and especially to 9-volt batteries whose terminals are close together. 'A dedicated container for batteries is good, but the tape is the critical step,' she notes. The recommended storage container is a plastic or cardboard box, kept in a cool, dry place away from heat sources and flammable materials—not a metal tin or a drawer full of loose change and keys.
Beyond the Basement: A National Safety Message
This near-miss in Lørenskog transcends a single household scare. It points to a broader issue of public awareness regarding modern household hazards. As Norwegians continue to be world leaders in recycling, the safe 'pre-recycling' storage of hazardous materials like batteries and electronics must become part of the common knowledge. Fire departments across the country periodically run campaigns on this topic, but a personal story often resonates more powerfully than a generic brochure.
The family's experience also underscores the importance of basic fire preparedness. Having a working smoke alarm with a clear alert system was their first line of defense. The strategic placement of a fire extinguisher in a high-risk area like a basement or utility room provided the crucial tool for immediate response. These are foundational elements of home safety that can mean the difference between a controlled incident and a total loss.
Analysis: Why Battery Fires Are a Growing Concern
The volume of batteries in homes is increasing. The shift towards portable electronics, cordless tools, and children's toys means households are cycling through more batteries than ever before. Consumer habits often outpace safety knowledge; many people are unaware that a 'dead' battery still holds enough residual energy to cause a short-circuit fire. Furthermore, the rise of powerful lithium-ion batteries in devices like vapes, laptops, and e-bikes presents an even greater risk, though this specific incident involved common alkaline batteries.
From a safety perspective, this event is a classic 'swiss cheese model' incident where several layers of defense aligned to prevent catastrophe. The family was home (layer 1), the alarm worked and provided specific information (layer 2), they had an extinguisher readily available (layer 3), and they knew how to use it (layer 4). The failure was the un-taped batteries. The lesson is that public safety messaging must continuously adapt to address the hazards created by evolving consumer products and green habits like recycling.
A Call for Proactive Prevention
The takeaway from this New Year's Eve scare is unambiguous. 'We now encourage others to tape their batteries to avoid similar events,' said Kari Loddengaard. This is not a complex or costly safety measure. It requires only a roll of tape and a moment of mindfulness when disposing of a remote control or a child's toy. Fire services hope this family's story will serve as a potent reminder, prompting people to check their battery collection points today.
As Stuvland puts it, 'The most important thing is to break the circuit. Tape is the easiest way.' The alternative, as the family in Lørenskog realized with chilling clarity, is to rely on luck and swift action while your home fills with smoke. Their story ended with a relieved sigh—'It could have gone much worse'—and a powerful warning for every household. The question now is how many will listen and take the thirty seconds required to tape a battery terminal before the next silent fire starts in a drawer, a box, or a basement crate.