Chemists call it "thermal runaway, " an ever-increasing heating process that can cause the battery to ignite.

WSJ: The Science Behind Dreamliner's Batteries

The short circuit resulted in a thermal runaway -- a chemical chain reaction -- in cell six, which spread to adjacent cells.

CNN: Boeing can conduct Dreamliner test flights

In a thermal runaway, a battery releases energy in the form of heat, increasing the temperature of the battery and causing further damage.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

They also found signs of short-circuiting along with the thermal runaway.

FORBES: 'Thermal Runaway' in 787 Dreamliner Batteries Must Be Stopped

"When you get thermal runaway, " he added, the battery can burn "at a temperature of 300-to-400 degrees Celsius, " or between 570 degrees and 750 degrees Fahrenheit.

WSJ: The Science Behind Dreamliner's Batteries

As MIT professor, Donald Sadoway, explained to me in a January interview, the photos of the batteries suggest that such thermal runaway is practically designed into the 787 batteries.

FORBES: 'Thermal Runaway' in 787 Dreamliner Batteries Must Be Stopped