Dave, I don't mess with lipos for this reason. There are set procedures when you charge them and if you don't follow that you will have a meltdown or even a fire. I went to an RC track in NW Houston Texas a few years back and there was a RC car on fire outside the pits. The guy told me that it was ESC that was on fire and that it was so hot it actually burned the chassis.You are lucky your airplane did catch on fire.
Michael