Well, we all may have heard of Lipo fires from time-to-time, but I saw my first recently.

One of the lessons learned here is that when an airplane crashes in the midst of flammable material, it should be responded to as quickly as possible.

That is any airplane.  Any heat or electrical source can cause a fire.  Glow or gas planes get hot and have batteries which can and do short-out upon crashing.  However, lipos generally have a higher chance of starting a fire.

The fire was just missed being put out with a fire extinguisher if we had been a little more responsive.  Look for the puff of white smoke, the tell-tale sign of a lipo battery discharging, and where there’s smoke, there’s probably going to be fire!  So get on it quickly.

Another lesson learned is to be prepared for the rare, but inevitable fire.  Multiple medium to large size ABC rated fire extinguishers should always be on hand at a flying field, even if you’re just out at the park.  It’s not just large size lipos that cause fires; a small 3-cell lipo caused this one.

Spade shovels would have actually worked better in putting out this particular dried-grass fire, as it spread too fast and wide for the extinguisher to be effective.  That’s why response time can really make a difference.

Most importantly, make a good judgment of the scale of the fire and the potential for it to spread.  If you don’t think you can manage it, call 911 immediately and try not to harm yourself from the flames and smoke.  Depending on many factors, it might take up to twenty minutes for the fire trucks to arrive.  And, if you’re in a canyon or small valley, locate your exit and make sure it’ll stay clear of the flames if the fire changes direction.

Lessons learned:

Attend to a downed plane as quickly as possible

Have multiple ABC rated fire extinguishers on hand and a spade shovel

If you don’t think you can manage it call 911 immediately

Watch your exits for a quick evacuation

Take care not to harm yourself, let the fire department do their job