On Mon, 3 Dec 2012 11:34:17 +0000, Granity wrote:

Lithium batteries have a history of catching fire, indeed they brought
down a 747 in Dubai recently when a cargo container of them caught
fire.

Hadn't heard about that.

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/lithium-...for-jet-crash/

Oh nasty... The big snag with a lithium battery fire is that there is
enough oxygen available within the battery for them to burn even when
totaly isolated from the atmosphere. Ergo they are damn difficult to put
out...

I've never heard of lead acid batteries catching fire, as such,
exploding due to blocked vents happens occasionally though or melting
when someone drops a spanner across the terminals.

They can explode but only when there is a source of ignition for the
hydrogen released if over charged. Which is why one should always switch
off the charger before disconnecting it from the battery.

--
Cheers
Dave.