Your smoke alarm can actually cause a fire if you do this one simple thing

As Massachusetts fire officials warn people to replace smoke alarms whose 10-year life cycle is likely ending, they also caution how people get rid of the old devices.

Throwing smoke detectors away in household trash or recycling poses its own fire hazard, according to the Department of Fire Services in a press release.

Sealed-battery smoke alarms contain lithium-ion batteries which can start fires when they are damaged, such as getting crushed in a trash truck.

“If they’re crushed or punctured in a compactor truck or a transfer station, they could cause a fire that’s very difficult to extinguish,” Easthampton Fire Chief Christopher Norris said in the release. “As lithium-ion batteries have become more common, we’ve started seeing more and more of these trash and transfer station fire