A four-alarm fire at a strip mall in Onset was accidental, likely caused by hundreds of lithium-ion batteries stored in the front left corner of a shop, the state fire marshal’s office said Wednesday.

“About 135 lithium-ion battery fires were reported in Massachusetts last year, and we believe the true number is even higher,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “When these batteries are abused, overcharged, overheated, or defective, they can fail rapidly and violently in a fire or explosion that also releases toxic, flammable gases.”

Lithium-ion batteries are widely viewed as a necessity for meeting our growing energy demands while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. So far, however, their commercial rollout has been hindered by safety issues relating to their use of liquid electrolytes: including the possibility for the harmful chemicals they contain to leak into the environment,

The number of New Yorkers killed in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries dropped significantly last year, according to the FDNY. Six people died in 2024, compared to 18 deaths in 2023 — a 67% decrease, officials said on Wednesday.

Braintree Electric Light Department awarded the bid to New York-based Convergent to own and operate the batteries in an effort for the utility to comply with the state’s clean energy goals. Convergent would have also been required to save BELD, and in turn ratepayers, money.

A research team at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI has developed a new sustainable process that can be used to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. Initial tests of high-voltage batteries modified in this way have been successful.

A large fire that burned through a Wareham, Massachusetts, strip mall this weekend likely started with lithium-ion batteries, fire officials said, sharing video of the blaze erupting.

It started with just a simple puff of smoke.Then moments later, the fire spread, fast.A fire on Sunday in Onset caused<a class="excerpt-read-more" href=" More