One person is in a critical condition after a lithium ion battery exploded in a Wellington apartment building.
Someone in the apartment was charging an electric scooter when the battery exploded, causing a fire.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said they were called to the scene on Tory St, Te Aro around 5.50pm.
Incident Controller Mike Dombroski said on arrival crews found a fire in an apartment on the first floor.
"Two sprinklers were activated and crews used hoses connected to the apartment water system to extinguish the fire," Mike Dombroski says.
"Wellington Free Ambulance say they have transported one person in a critical condition to hospital," he says.
Dombroski said he wants to urge anyone using these batteries "as they are a fire risk when not stored, charged, used or disposed of correctly".
"Only use chargers that are supplied with the device, don’t charge them on or near flammable surfaces, and avoid leaving lithium-ion batteries or devices charging for prolonged periods of time."
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