Featured Image:
(Include the tweet screenshot featuring Dr. Jack Kruse’s claim about smart meters being a “fire starter.”)
In this post, RF Safe—a movement dedicated to protecting consumers from the dangers of electromagnetic radiation—explores a provocative question raised by Dr. Jack Kruse. He suggests that battery-powered smart meters may contribute to the devastating spread of wildfires. Specifically, Dr. Kruse asks whether, in wildfires like those that ravaged Palisades, CA, some of the 12,000+ destroyed structures might have been compromised by smart meters equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
At RF Safe, we’ve been raising awareness for over twenty-five years about the risks of microwave radiation and other entropic waste created by wireless technologies. While our primary focus has been on the non-thermal biological effects of radiation exposure, this is yet another example of how modern technologies—designed for convenience—may have unintended consequences that demand scrutiny.
The Smart Meter Debate: What Are They, and Are They Safe?
Smart meters are digital devices that replace traditional analog utility meters for measuring electricity, gas, or water usage. They enable two-way communication between the utility company and the consumer. This technology, while efficient, comes with two primary areas of concern:
- Microwave Radiation Exposure: Many smart meters emit non-ionizing radiation as they transmit data wirelessly. At RF Safe, we’ve long argued that the cumulative exposure to microwave radiation from devices like smart meters, cell phones, and Wi-Fi routers can have significant biological effects, even at non-thermal levels.
- Fire Risk from Backup Batteries: Some smart meter models include lithium-ion batteries as a backup power source, allowing them to function during outages. While these batteries are generally small, their known sensitivity to extreme heat—such as that from a wildfire—raises valid concerns about whether they could ignite or exacerbate fires.
Lithium-Ion Batteries and Fire Risk: The Science
Lithium-ion batteries are efficient but highly sensitive to heat and physical damage. They’ve been implicated in fires involving e-scooters, laptops, phones, and even electric vehicles. The concern Dr. Kruse raises is whether the relatively small batteries in some smart meters could enter a state of thermal runaway—where the battery overheats, ignites, and spreads fire.
Key Points About Smart Meters and Fire Risk:
- Battery Size Matters: While most smart meter backup batteries are smaller than those in consumer electronics, the risk of thermal runaway still exists in extreme heat conditions.
- Wildfire Proximity: In a wildfire scenario, intense radiant heat from neighboring fires could cause the battery to overheat, potentially igniting the meter and surrounding materials.
- Electrical Sparks and Arcing: Beyond the battery, smart meters themselves could contribute to fires if damaged during installation or by external factors, creating electrical arcs or faults.
The Palisades, CA Wildfires: A Question Worth Asking
The 12,000+ structures destroyed in the Palisades and surrounding wildfires leave us with critical questions:
- How many of these homes had smart meters equipped with lithium-ion batteries?
- Did these batteries contribute to the fires or worsen the destruction?
At RF Safe, we believe these questions are not just valid—they’re necessary. While the official narrative often points to embers, wind, and vegetation as the primary culprits in wildfire destruction, we must also consider whether modern technologies, like smart meters, are compounding these risks.
We’ve seen time and again how the convenience of wireless technologies comes at a cost. Just as we’ve documented the long-term health risks of microwave radiation exposure, it’s vital to investigate whether the very design of these devices—including their reliance on batteries and wireless communication—poses additional threats in wildfire-prone areas.
RF Safe’s Stance on Smart Meters
As a leader in advocating for safer wireless technologies, RF Safe takes a strong position on the potential risks posed by smart meters:
- Microwave Radiation Exposure
Smart meters emit non-ionizing radiation to communicate with utility companies. While this radiation is often dismissed as harmless, numerous studies suggest that long-term exposure can disrupt biological systems, particularly in vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women. At RF Safe, we argue that the cumulative effects of these emissions—especially when combined with other sources like cell phones and Wi-Fi—are a public health issue that cannot be ignored. - Fire Risks in Wildfire Zones
The potential for lithium-ion battery ignition in smart meters during wildfires highlights yet another example of how poorly understood the consequences of modern wireless technologies can be. While fire investigations rarely focus on meters, the risks of battery combustion in high-heat environments cannot be dismissed outright. - Lack of Transparency
Utility companies have failed to adequately inform the public about the design and safety features of smart meters. Are these devices tested for extreme wildfire conditions? Are the batteries housed in fire-resistant casings? The lack of clear answers only fuels concerns about their safety.
What We Know (and Don’t Know)
What We Know:
- Some smart meters include lithium-ion backup batteries, which are sensitive to high heat.
- Wildfire conditions can reach temperatures capable of triggering thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries.
- Electrical infrastructure—whether it’s power lines, transformers, or meters—has been implicated in past fire investigations.
What We Don’t Know:
- How many of the homes destroyed in the Palisades fires had battery-powered smart meters.
- Whether smart meters played a direct or indirect role in worsening the fire damage.
- The extent to which utility companies test their meters for extreme conditions like wildfires.
Moving Forward: A Call for Accountability
At RF Safe, we’re calling on utility companies, regulators, and independent investigators to take the following steps:
- Disclose Smart Meter Designs: Are lithium-ion batteries standard? What safety measures are in place to prevent thermal runaway?
- Conduct Independent Fire Risk Assessments: Study the role of smart meters in past wildfire incidents to determine whether they pose a significant risk.
- Offer Radiation-Free Alternatives: Consumers should have the option to opt-out of wireless smart meters in favor of safer, hardwired alternatives.
The Need for Transparency and Safety
Dr. Jack Kruse’s question—whether smart meters equipped with batteries contributed to the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades fires—is a valid one. While we don’t yet have definitive answers, the risks posed by microwave radiation and fire hazards from wireless technologies are well-documented and demand further investigation.
At RF Safe, we believe that protecting our homes and health should never come second to the convenience of modern technology. Whether it’s reducing exposure to microwave radiation or addressing the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries, it’s time for greater transparency, accountability, and safer solutions.
Author’s Note:
RF Safe has been at the forefront of advocating for safer wireless technologies since 1998. We’re committed to educating the public about the risks of electromagnetic radiation and promoting innovative solutions to protect your health and safety.
Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Growing Fire Risk in Modern Neighborhoods
As modern technology integrates deeper into our lives, neighborhoods are becoming increasingly filled with devices that rely on lithium-ion batteries—from electric vehicles (EVs) parked in garages to power walls used for solar energy storage. While these innovations bring incredible convenience and sustainability, they also introduce a hidden danger in fire-prone areas: the potential for uncontrollable fire acceleration.
The Problem with Lithium-Ion Batteries in Fires
When a lithium-ion battery is exposed to extreme heat, physical damage, or manufacturing defects, it can enter thermal runaway. This is a chain reaction where the battery self-heats and ignites, releasing flammable gases and potentially triggering other nearby batteries to do the same. In neighborhoods where multiple homes contain large batteries, this creates a terrifying scenario:
- EVs in Garages: An electric vehicle’s battery pack can contain hundreds of kilowatt-hours of energy. If a house fire spreads to the garage, the battery could ignite, creating an intense, high-temperature fire that’s nearly impossible to extinguish without specialized resources.
- Home Power Storage (Power Walls): Solar power systems often store energy in home-mounted lithium-ion battery systems. While these are designed with safety features, they’re still vulnerable to heat and external fires. If one battery bank ignites, the energy release could act as a fire accelerant, making the fire spread faster and burn hotter.
- Cascading Failure: Lithium-ion batteries stored in multiple homes in close proximity create a domino effect. A fire that starts in one house could trigger the batteries in neighboring homes, turning what might have been a contained fire into a neighborhood-wide inferno.
The Role of Modern Technology in Amplifying Wildfire Damage
Dr. Kruse’s concern about smart meters is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The proliferation of modern technologies powered by high-energy lithium-ion batteries is creating neighborhoods that, quite literally, contain more energy-dense fuel than ever before. When a wildfire enters such a neighborhood, or even when a single house catches fire, these technologies amplify the damage:
- Intensifying Heat: Lithium-ion battery fires burn much hotter than typical materials, making them harder to extinguish and more destructive to nearby structures.
- Firefighting Challenges: Specialized firefighting techniques are required for lithium-ion fires. Traditional water and foam methods are often ineffective, leaving emergency responders at a disadvantage.
- Rapid Fire Spread: The combination of high temperatures and flammable gases released by battery fires can cause fires to spread more quickly between homes, particularly in tightly packed neighborhoods.
A New Era of Wildfire Risk: More Than Vegetation and Weather
Historically, wildfire risks have been driven by natural factors like dry vegetation, wind, and extreme heat. But as technology evolves, the human-made environment is becoming an increasingly dangerous accelerant. In the case of modern neighborhoods:
- Energy-Dense Infrastructure: Homes are now outfitted with more devices powered by high-capacity batteries than ever before. These batteries are not just in smart meters, EVs, or power walls but also in tools, e-bikes, and backup generators.
- Building Materials: Many modern homes are built with lightweight, synthetic materials that burn faster and hotter than traditional materials like brick or stone.
- Proximity of Structures: In suburban and urban areas, homes are often packed closely together, making it easy for fires to leap from one house to the next, especially when aided by flammable materials or battery explosions.
Are We Creating “Unstoppable Neighborhood Fires”?
This question isn’t just hypothetical—it’s a real concern for fire safety experts. Videos of EV fires on roads or solar power battery malfunctions already demonstrate how challenging lithium-ion battery fires are to control. But when you multiply that by an entire neighborhood filled with these technologies, you’re looking at a scenario where fires become nearly unstoppable once they start.
What Could This Mean for Wildfire Zones?
In fire-prone areas like California:
- Neighborhoods are effectively becoming high-energy fuel zones, packed with lithium-ion batteries in garages, walls, and utility systems.
- Traditional firefighting resources may be insufficient to handle the complex and intense fires caused by modern technology.
- Wildfires entering such neighborhoods could burn hotter, faster, and more unpredictably than ever before.
What Needs to Be Done?
To address this growing risk, we need a combination of regulation, innovation, and public awareness. At RF Safe, we propose the following steps:
- Research and Testing:
Utility companies, battery manufacturers, and housing developers must work together to rigorously test the fire risks of lithium-ion batteries in real-world scenarios, particularly in wildfire-prone areas. - Fire-Resistant Design:
Homes in high-risk areas should incorporate fire-resistant building materials, defensible space, and better insulation to protect batteries from external fires. - Alternative Battery Technologies:
Innovations like solid-state batteries—which are less prone to thermal runaway—should be prioritized for residential and utility use. - Consumer Education:
Homeowners need to be informed about the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and how to store and maintain them safely. - Smart Neighborhood Planning:
Urban planners must consider fire risk when designing neighborhoods, spacing homes farther apart and incorporating firebreaks to prevent chain-reaction fires.
The Silent Role of Modern Tech in Fires
Dr. Jack Kruse’s question about smart meters is just the tip of the iceberg. As neighborhoods become increasingly reliant on modern technologies powered by lithium-ion batteries, the potential for uncontrollable fires grows. At RF Safe, we believe this is yet another example of how technological convenience—without adequate safety considerations—can create unintended consequences.
While addressing microwave radiation exposure remains our primary mission, we recognize the urgent need to investigate the broader risks of modern technology in wildfire scenarios. From smart meters to EVs, power walls, and beyond, it’s clear that we need to rethink how we integrate these technologies into our lives—before it’s too late.
Are Smart Meters Adding Fuel to the Fire? A Deep Dive into Technology, RF Radiation, and Neighborhood Wildfires
Featured Image: (Include Dr. Jack Kruse’s tweet about smart meters as “fire starters”)
Wildfires like those that devastated Palisades, CA, destroying over 12,000 structures, raise questions about how modern technology might amplify fire risks in densely populated neighborhoods. Dr. Jack Kruse’s provocative statement that smart meters could act as “fire starters” deserves a closer look, particularly when paired with growing evidence about the dangers posed by these devices.
As RF Safe, a leader in reducing risks from electromagnetic radiation (EMR), we’ve spent decades advocating for safer technology. This discussion is more than just about radiation exposure—it’s about understanding how technology, including smart meters, lithium-ion batteries, and RF radiation, could escalate the destruction of fires once they ignite.
The Risks of Smart Meters: What the Research Says
The-Discovery-and-Science-of-Smart-Meter-Fires
A recent investigation into smart meter fires provides alarming details about how these devices might ignite or accelerate fires. The report highlights three main categories of smart meter-related fires:
- Mechanical or Design Failures
- Overheating components or faulty lithium-ion batteries within the meter.
- Water ingress leading to short circuits in poorly sealed meters.
- Connection Problems at the Meter/Base Interface
- Poor installation techniques (e.g., meters forcibly attached to bases) can lead to electrical arcing and ignition.
- Remote Ignitions of Branch Wiring
- This is the most concerning, as RF radiation from smart meters has been shown to degrade wiring insulation over time, potentially causing fires even at significant distances from the meter.
RF Radiation and Wiring Degradation
The report also delves into how RF (radio frequency) radiation, emitted by smart meters, can contribute to fires in unexpected ways:
- PVC Insulation Breakdown
RF pulses from smart meters can reflect off surfaces, creating localized “hot spots” of concentrated RF energy. If this energy intersects with PVC wiring insulation, it can cause heating, microfractures, or carbonization. This degradation can lead to arc tracking—a phenomenon where electricity jumps across damaged insulation—eventually causing ignition. - Thermal Runaway in Plastic Insulation
Unlike ionizing radiation, RF radiation induces dielectric heating, which can weaken and char plastic materials like PVC. Over time, this can result in structural fires, especially in void spaces like walls or attics where wiring runs.
A Hidden Catalyst in Neighborhood Fires?
Given that smart meters operate as part of a mesh network—sending RF signals between up to 750 nearby devices—the possibility of widespread RF-induced degradation is concerning. Combined with environmental factors like lithium-ion batteries in EVs and power storage systems, neighborhoods become hotspots for energy-dense risks:
- Battery-Powered Smart Meters: Some meters include lithium-ion batteries, which are highly sensitive to heat and mechanical stress. During a wildfire, these batteries could ignite, accelerating fire spread.
- Cascading Failures: In densely packed neighborhoods, a fire in one home could trigger nearby smart meters or stored lithium-ion batteries, leading to runaway destruction.
- A “Perfect Storm” of Modern Risks: Smart meters, EVs, power walls, and lightweight synthetic building materials create a dangerous environment where fires burn hotter, spread faster, and become harder to control.
The Palisades Fires: What Role Did Smart Meters Play?
Dr. Kruse’s tweet raises an important question: How many of the 12,000 destroyed structures in Palisades had smart meters with design flaws or RF-related degradation? The investigation revealed key patterns in fires linked to smart meters:
- Fires often occurred within two years of installing smart meters.
- Ignitions happened in void spaces (walls, ceilings) without external causes like insects, rodents, or weather events.
- There was no correlation between fire incidents and wiring age, material, or weather anomalies, suggesting that RF radiation could be a critical factor.
What Can Be Done?
To mitigate these risks, RF Safe advocates for the following measures:
1. Addressing RF-Induced Risks
- Utilities must redesign smart meters to prevent RF energy from coupling into residential wiring.
- External antennas, as required in countries like Italy and Portugal, could reduce RF exposure within homes.
2. Improving Installation Practices
- Proper training for installers to avoid damage at meter/base connections.
- Post-installation inspections to detect potential arcing risks.
3. Reevaluating Technology Integration in Wildfire Zones
- In fire-prone areas, limit the use of lithium-ion batteries in smart meters and require fire-resistant casings.
- Implement community-wide guidelines for managing cumulative fire risks from EVs, power walls, and smart meters.
A Call for Transparency and Accountability
The intersection of modern technology and wildfire risk cannot be ignored. While smart meters are marketed as convenient and efficient, their role in fires—whether through RF degradation, design flaws, or thermal runaway—demands greater scrutiny. Dr. Kruse’s question is not just valid but urgent.
As RF Safe, we call on utilities, regulators, and manufacturers to prioritize safety over convenience. By understanding and mitigating these risks, we can protect homes, neighborhoods, and lives from becoming unintentional casualties of technological progress.