Lipo Fire on You Tube.

[BrianG]

I charge in a LipoSack, but store lipos in a metal cabinet drawer away from any flammable materials. That way, if they do go up, at least the collateral damage is contained.

But honestly, any battery (even NiMHs) can explode if not treated right. NiMHs have been known to explode, and when they do, the fact that they are contained in a metal sheath can cause harmful shrapnel. But these are worst-cases.

Even if lipos were as unstable as these movies portray, we would still use them. After all, we all want light-weight cells that have as much energy density/capacity as possible in as small a formfactor as possible. Can't have it all! If people are that concerned, it's time to either get A123 cells (and deal with the weight/size), or switch over to RadioShack/Tyco toys...