Three people injured from damaged lithium batteries causing Florida children's hospital to evacuate

Three employees at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital in Tampa, Florida, had to be admitted Thursday and about 80 people were evacuated because of a series of damaged lithium batteries that began spewing hazardous gases.

According to the Hillsborough County Fire Department, hospital workers noticed a strange odor inside the children's hospital. It came from the MRI room, where 30 lithium batteries, similar to those used in electric vehicles, were stored.

The batteries were damaged, causing them to overheat and begin to release hydrogen gas. Three employees suffered respiratory problems and were hospitalized, hospital officials said in a statement. According to the Fire Department, they are in stable condition.

According to reports in the Tampa Bay Times, the batteries began to swell because of the hydrogen emission. They then took up too much space in the storage room, so removing the damaged batteries was especially difficult. According to experts quoted by TBT, there was a risk of the batteries exploding.

This is not the first incident in the country related to lithium batteries. These batteries are used to power electrical devices, and in the case of vehicles, there have already been a number of accidents, including several fires in New York City. In the city, damaged lithium batteries are the main cause of house fires. When lithium batteries are damaged, often by a minor impact, there is a risk they will catch on fire, putting people's lives at risk.