So, craftmaster, you say don't put water anywhere near a lithium-ion battery fire.
The FAA says: first method of choice is to use a water extinguisher; second method of choice: halon 1211 extinguisher followed by dousing with water or whatever is on the drinks cart and has no alcohol (and is likely mainly water).
The crucial issue is that, once a cell has gone into thermal runaway, the other adjacent cells need to be cooled to ensure that they don't go into thermal runaway, even though the fire is out. And water or liquids which are mostly water (and no alcohol) are the best available substances to do that.
The FAA has videos (referenced already in this thread).
How do you reconcile your view with that of the FAA?
PBL