A laptop containing a lithium-ion battery ignited at a school in the 500 block of 19th Street NE on Wednesday, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department said.
Fire officials didn’t name the school, but Monument Academy is at that address.
The laptop exploded just before 11 a.m. While the battery inside the computer caught fire, the blaze didn’t spread inside the school, the officials said on social media.
Medics attended to four patients, none of whom went to the hospital, and a hazmat unit secured the busted battery, the officials said.
The fire department didn’t say why the battery exploded but posted a National Fire Protection Association notice explaining that some lithium-ion batteries can overheat and explode.
People should stop using devices that contain such batteries if they notice high heat, strange odor, a change in the battery’s color or shape, or odd noises, and should move the device away from flammable items, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
