默西塞德郡的消防部门表示，导致一名母亲及其三名子女死亡的火灾是由一块锂离子电池引发的。
left a mother and her three children dead was caused by a lithium-ion battery, firefighters in Merseyside have said.
默西塞德郡消防与救援服务部门（MFRS）在一份声明中称，这次火灾是由于电路故障导致该电池发生“热失控”反应。这种电池通常用于电子烟、电动自行车和电动滑板车中。
An electrical event caused the battery, which is commonly used in vapes, ebikes and e-scooters, to go into “thermal runaway”, Merseyside fire and rescue service (MFRS) said in a statement. Crews arrived at the blaze, which ripped through the house in Bootle, at about 3.45am on Tuesday 22 September.
消防队于9月22日周二凌晨3点45分左右赶到位于布特尔（Bootle）的火灾现场。消防部门发言人称，在楼上的卧室里发现了四名遇难者，他们均没有生命迹象。西北救护局的危险区域救援小组随后确认这四人均已死亡。
Four people were discovered in an upstairs bedroom showing no signs of life, a fire service spokesperson said. North West ambulance’s hazardous area response team later confirmed that all four had died. They were named by police as Elisha Brabin, 36, Leo Brabin, 16, Ellis Brabin, eight, and seven-year-old Prudence Brabin.
遇难者的身份分别为：36岁的埃利沙·布拉宾（Elisha Brabin）、16岁的利奥·布拉宾（Leo Brabin）、8岁的埃利斯·布拉宾（Ellis Brabin）以及7岁的普鲁登斯·布拉宾（Prudence Brabin）。
At the fire’s height, six crews were on the scene and eight firefighters entered the house, which was alight when they arrived, they added.
火灾最严重时，共有六支消防队赶到现场；八名消防员进入房屋后，发现房屋内已经处于燃烧状态。
MFRS head of prevention said: “This is a devastating incident, and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the mother and children who lost their lives and those who were injured.
MFRS预防部门负责人表示：“这是一起极其悲惨的事件，我们向遇难者的家人和朋友以及受伤人员表示深切慰问。这场悲剧再次凸显了锂离子电池所带来的严重安全隐患——我们已确认锂离子电池是火灾的真正起因。”不过，消防部门并未具体说明家中使用的锂离子电池的具体用途。
“This tragedy highlights the very real risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, which we confirmed as the source of the fire.”The fire service did not confirm what the lithium-ion battery at the home was being used for.
约翰逊（Johnson）警告称：“我们敦促大家严格遵守制造商的使用说明，仅使用随设备附带或经制造商认可的电池及充电器；否则可能会带来巨大的火灾风险。”
“We’re urging people to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, only using batteries and chargers which have been supplied with the vehicle or approved by the manufacturer, as anything else can pose a huge fire risk”, Johnson said.
“了解并识别锂离子电池可能出现故障的迹象也非常重要：如果电池出现膨胀、发出异常声音、散发出刺鼻气味、无法充电或开始冒烟，请立即停止使用该电池。”在周三发布的悼念声明中，受害者的亲属们表示：“Elisha 是我们深爱的女儿、妻子、母亲、姐妹、阿姨以及侄女/表妹。她是一位充满爱心、全心全意为孩子们付出的母亲；孩子们是她整个世界的全部，对她来说，我们所有人都无比重要。”
“It’s also important to know and recognise the signs that your lithium-ion battery may be failing – if it is swelling, making unusual sounds, has a strong smell, is failing to charge, or is smoking, please stop using immediately.”In a tribute issued on Wednesday, relatives of the victims said: “Elisha was our beloved daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunty, niece and cousin. She was a devoted and loving mother who lived for her children. They were her whole world, and she meant everything to us.
“我们可爱的孩子们——Leo、Ellis 和 Prudence——受到了无与伦比的关爱，他们为我们的家庭带来了无尽的欢乐与幸福。他们的存在让我们的生活充满了笑声和珍贵的回忆，这些回忆我们将永远珍藏。”
“Our beautiful babies, Leo, Ellis and Prudence, were loved beyond measure and brought so much joy, happiness and love to our family. They filled our lives with laughter and precious memories that we will cherish for ever.
“Elisha 以及我们三个珍贵的孩子的不幸离世让我们心碎不已。他们过早地离开了我们……我们所承受的痛苦难以言表，这种打击将永远影响着我们的家庭。”
“The tragic loss of Elisha and our three precious children has left us heartbroken. They have all been taken from us far too soon. The loss we are experiencing is unimaginable, and the impact on our family will be felt for ever.”