JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An E-Town home was destroyed Wednesday morning in a fire sparked by lithium batteries in a golf cart that was parked in the garage, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. This happened on Fulcrum Avenue in the Nobel community.
JFRD Chief Keith Powers recently visited The Morning Show to warn about the dangers of lithium batteries after the department sent out a citywide alert that it was seeing more calls for service because of the batteries.
Powers explained why these batteries are so flammable.
“These batteries can go into what they call ‘thermal runaway’ and that thermal runaway can happen if these batteries are exposed to temperatures up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and when they go into thermal runaway, they release toxic gases that rapidly ignite a burn,” he said.
A father and his two sons were home in the E-Town home when the fire sparked but they were not hurt, JFRD said.
JFRD said the Red Cross will not be needed for this fire, as the family has other places to stay. But neighbors set up a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet after losing all their belongings.
A neighbor spoke to News4JAX about trying to stop the fire himself.
“We realized within five minutes, and we came out and tried to stop with the hose water,” Praneeth Vuppala said. “We tried to help my neighbor, but we couldn’t. We called 911 to get fire station out here. They got here within 5 to 8 minutes but by that time, everything was completely burned.”
READ: JFRD sends out a warning about lithium batteries
Powers said lithium battery fires need to be handled by professionals.
“If this happens with one of these batteries, do not try to extinguish it, because a normal fire extinguisher will not put it out,” Powers said. “You need to get out of the structure that you’re in, and call 911, and let them handle it.”
What can contain lithium batteries?
- Phones
- Watches
- Scooters
- Ebikes
- Golf carts
- Electric cars
“What I practice at my own home is I charge my lithium-ion batteries while I’m awake but as soon as we get ready to go to bed I unplug it and don’t let it charge or leaving the house I do not let it charge,” Powers said. “Do not buy after-market batteries. Buy the original OEM battery for that device. They cost more and that’s why people by the after-market batteries because they’re trying to save a little bit of money.”
