新幹線しんかんせんの車内しゃない モバイルバッテリーから煙けむり 乗客じょうきゃく1人いちにん怪我けが

On the morning of the 28th, on a Joetsu Shinkansen heading toward JR Ueno Station in Tokyo, smoke came out of a mobile battery that was inside a passengers suitcase, and the passenger injured their hand.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, at around 8:10 a.m. on the 28th, a report was made to the fire department from Ueno Station that a mobile battery caught fire inside a Joetsu Shinkansen train heading towards JR Ueno Station in Taito Ward, Tokyo.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, a 58-year-old male company employee living in Saitama Prefecture noticed smoke coming from his suitcase, which he had placed at his feet. When he opened the case, he found that the smoke was coming from a mobile battery.

The man suffered a minor burn on his right fingers when he tried to put out the smoke.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the man explained, I charged my mobile battery last night, and said that he was not using it when the smoke appeared.

The Metropolitan Police Department and the fire department are investigating in detail how the fire started.

The Shinkansen train Toki No. 300, which had departed from Niigata Station and was heading to Tokyo Station, reportedly had no other passengers injured.

Fires caused by products using lithium batteries, such as mobile batteries and smartphones, reached 143 cases in Tokyo in the first half of this year up to June, according to a summary by the Tokyo Fire Department. This is an increase at a pace surpassing last years record high.

Since there is a tendency for this to occur mainly during the summer, when heat tends to build up, people are being urged to remain cautious as severe late-summer heat is expected to continue.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in various rechargeable products such as mobile batteries, smartphones, and computers. However, since they contain an electrolyte with flammable organic solvents, there is a risk of fire if they are left in high temperatures or subjected to strong impacts, as this can cause them to heat up, rupture, or catch fire. In fact, related fires have been increasing year by year.

According to the Tokyo Fire Department, there were 143 fires caused by products using lithium-ion batteries in Tokyo in the first half of this year up to June, which is 39 more than the same period last year when the number was the highest on record.

By product, mobile batteries accounted for the most with 47 cases, followed by smartphones with 19 cases, and electric bicycles with 11 cases.

Of these, in cases of mobile battery fires, there were incidents such as smoke suddenly coming out while charging a smartphone inside a backpack, and cases where fire broke out when the battery was dropped.

Also, analysis of past data shows that fires mainly occur in the summer, with the period from June to September accounting for about 40% of the total every year.

The Tokyo Fire Department is urging people to be careful when carrying portable fans and other devices that use lithium-ion batteries, to avoid subjecting them to impacts, especially as the severe summer heat is expected to continue. They also warn against leaving such devices in high-temperature places, such as on a car dashboard.