Like the title says, why are batteries at risk to catching fire on planes? Why do they ask you to remove batteries from your luggage?
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The Reactions YouTube channel (put out by the American Chemical Society) just posted a video on [Why are Electric Car Fires So Hard to Put Out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQZK0z7xYuQ) that is relevant to your question. As others have mentioned: when they start, the reaction is highly exothermic (heat generating), usually creates its own oxygen, and thus can only be stopped by massive amounts of water bringing them below their “critical” temperature. Fires are an especially deadly risk on an airplanes, and as such batteries are a special concern.
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