The Capital Regional District is asking residents to be mindful of where they dispose of their electronics, following an increase in fires at the Hartland Landfill.

The landfill fires have been caused “largely due to improperly discarded lithium-ion batteries,” according to the CRD, which are commonly found in items like cellphones, laptops and e-bikes.

The CRD says these batteries are generally safe, but can cause fires if they are crushed or punctured, which is possible at the landfill.

“When batteries end up in the landfill, when they get damaged they go into a ‘thermal runaway,’ which is essentially, they catch on fire,” said Saanich Fire Department Lt. Kelly Duckworth in a safety video posted by the CRD.

“Lithium-ion batteries are specifically dangerous because it is full of very

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