Lithium-Ion Batteries Caused Fatal Boston Fire, Officials Confirm
City officials in Boston have confirmed that lithium-ion batteries stored in plastic toolboxes were the cause of a three-alarm fire in Dorchester on May 23, which resulted in the death of veteran Boston firefighter Robert “Bobby” Kilduff Jr. Fire Commissioner Rodney Marshall announced that the fire originated from a third-floor enclosed porch. Kilduff, a 24-year veteran and third-generation firefighter, died after falling from a third-story window, marking the first line-of-duty death for a Boston firefighter in over a decade. Mayor Michelle Wu emphasized the profound impact of the incident on the department, the Kilduff family, and the Boston community. Investigations into the specific circumstances of Kilduff's death are ongoing, but the cause of the blaze has been traced to 'thermal runaway involving multiple lithium-ion batteries.'
