An electrical scooter’s battery sparked a fireplace in a Montgomery County, Maryland, residence that injured one individual, displaced three folks and induced $150,000 in injury, fireplace officers say.
The lithium-ion battery overheated whereas charging in an condominium in the 5000 block of Bradley Boulevard in the Bethesda and Chevy Chase space, Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer stated early Tuesday.
About 45 firefighters rushed to the three-story condominium constructing in a single day and located a blaze on the third ground, officers stated.
One grownup resident was taken to a hospital with minor burns, officers stated.
Residents, some wrapped in blankets, have been seen standing outdoors the constructing as crews labored to ventilate smoke.
Firefighters have extinguished the blaze and left the scene.
Three folks can’t return to their residence, officers stated.
This isn’t the primary fireplace in the D.C. space tied to a lithium-ion battery. A distant management automotive battery began a Loudoun County blaze that induced greater than $900,000 in injury in August 2020, the Washington Post reported.
Lithium-ion batteries are used in quite a few merchandise from headphones to toys to electrical automobiles, the Environmental Protection Agency stated.
The Occupational Safety and Health (*1*) says they’re typically protected, however might catch fireplace or explode if broken or operated unsafely.
The University of Washington has tips about safely storing lithium-ion batteries, together with recommendation to maintain them away from flammable supplies.
Stay with News4 for extra on this creating story.