Vic battery explosion causes home fire A LITHIUM battery can cost less than a dollar, but a Melbourne man has been left with six figures worth of fire damage after one of them exploded in his home. The 47-year old man had been charging the battery in his bedroom in Camberwell on Tuesday when he noticed it looking a little strange, and decided to take a closer look. He gave it a squeeze, and it burst into flames, burning his thumb and fingertips. The man dropped the battery, and left the room to nurse his injured hand under cold water, calling to his father for help. But when his father entered the bedroom, flames had already reached the ceiling before spreading to the kitchen, another adjoining room, and the roof. A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said a crew managed to bring the blaze under control, while paramedics treated the man's burns at the scene. Damage to the house has been estimated at $150,000.