To clarify a couple of things: Most hybrid automobiles have used NIMH (Nickel based) batteries, not Lithium Ion. The plug-ins and fully electric ones mostly use the Lithium batteries. So all those reported hybrid fires mostly weren't lithium batteries.
But there are problems with poorly designed lithium batteries/chargers. Mostly currently in electric bicycles, skateboards and scooters. Cheaply made, you-know-where. The NYFD reports over 200 fires this year and 6 deaths from them. We had a house fire here in my village, with a death. I've never seen the official fire marshal's report, but there was a photo in the press of a very burnt electric scooter laying on the front lawn after being removed from the apartment by the FD.
The scooters and bikes are particularly popular with delivery people for take-out restaurants, who store them in their apartments/bedrooms and charge them there. There are also people who make a living storing and recharging a number of bikes in their apartment.
The batteries in the bikes are often poorly protected and easily damaged. And the chargers are made cheaply and worse, not interchangeable. Using the wrong charger with the wrong bike can set the battery, the charger, or both on fire. A serious problem.
But the batteries in electric vehicles are much better protected, both mechanically and electrically. Toyota warrants them for 10 years, so they build them to last. Also they don't want the Samsung effect. Samsung took a bath both financially and PR wise a few years ago when the batteries in some of their phones overheated and sometimes caught fire.
Some people are concerned about parking their electric automobile in their garage, but the same people keep their gasoline lawn mower and snowblower, and the can of gas, in the garage. Worse, some of them refill the tank in the garage, sometimes with the engine running. And if their kids have an electric bike/scooter, I'll bet you they keep it and charge it inside. That is really dangerous, at least until there are better standards for their safe design.
It remains to be seen if the lithium battery home storage systems are safe and remain so for their lifetime. Tesla seems to install them outside, at least in their literature. But they are only good down to -4 F, not good in any area with cold winters. And most other lithium batteries can't be charged much below freezing. The temptation will be to put them in the basement. Less safe than an outside wall? Less safe than your oil burner, already in your basement?? Remains to be seen.
There is a lot of energy in a small space, careful design and installation is in order, just like your heating system. But heating systems have been around for over 100 years, so most of the safety issues have been discovered and dealt with. Given that these battery systems are new tech, it does pay to be cautious.
Someone above suggested newer battery chemistry. But why would you think sodium, a very reactive element, would be safer than lithium. The issue isn't necessarily the specific chemistry, it is more in the design and failure modes. Any of these batteries hold a large amount of energy in a small space, and that has the potential to be dangerous if not well designed.
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