When a lithium-ion battery catches fire, it can be very hard to extinguish and can burn very fiercely³. If a battery is going to catch fire, the likely cause is thermal runaway¹. This is when a battery experiences an increase in temperature that eventually leads to cell short-circuiting or disintegration that can spark a fire¹. There are three main abuse factors that can send a battery into thermal runaway — mechanical, thermal or electrical¹. The contents of the battery are under pressure, so if a metal fragment punctures a partition that keeps the components separate or the battery is punctured, the lithium reacts with water in the air vigorously, generating high heat and sometimes producing a fire².

(1) What are the lithium-ion-battery fire risks & safety issues?. https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/battery-fire-lithium-i.... (2) Just how concerned should the solar industry be about battery fires?. https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/02/just-how-conce.... (3) Why Lithium Batteries Catch Fire - ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/why-lithium-batteries-catch-fire-6.... (4) Can Batteries Catch On Fire? Do They Ever Explode? - Firefighter Insider. https://firefighterinsider.com/batteries-catch-fire-or-explo.... (5) Lithium Battery Fires: How to Spot the Warning Signs. https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/lithium-battery-fires.

The problem is the battery has everything it needs to burn already inside its chemistry. It doesn't need the atmosphere to supply oxygen.