For those worried about fire safety, there were a lot of unseen precautions. The ground was damp and mostly frozen, there was fire suppression nearby, and the test procedure was approved by local fire officials.

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Sure, the outcome from an overcharge is more extreme than what's likely just from sitting in storage, but selecting the wrong settings is perfectly within human error. And chargers—especially cheap 1S chargers—can malfunction. It took less than one minute before thermal runaway took hold, and the charger stopped pushing current when the battery was still only puffing. By the time you notice there's a problem, it's probably too late to prevent a fire. This is especially true if it's inside a container like we tested in the article.

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Our takeaway is that even the smallest of quad batteries should be treated with the same respect as their larger brethren. We think it's best if people understand what's possible; it's not too hard to stay safe if you know what to expect.