Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to an apartment fire in Bethesda early Tuesday morning.
Officials said the fire happened around 4 a.m. in the third floor of of an apartment building located on Bradley Boulevard near Arlington Road in Bethesda.
Approximately 45 firefighters responded to the scene. One resident was transported to the hospital for minor burns after being evaluated on the scene. Residents were temporarily displaced while the fire was investigated and smoke was cleared by the firefighters.
MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer reports the fire was caused by a scooter lithium battery that overheated during charging.
According to NIH’s National Library of Medicine, “Since 2016 there has been a 20-fold increase in known burns injury from personal mobility device (PMD) related fires. ”
Update – 5046 Bradley Blvd, apt bldg; Cause, scooter, (charging) lithium ion battery (overheated); Area of Origin, 3rd floor apt; Damage, ~$150K; 3 people displaced; @MCFRS_EMIHS transported 1 adult resident, minor burns; ~45 @mcfrs FFs on scene https://t.co/eCI1a13xeG pic.twitter.com/YpiCQNXkfa
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 5, 2022
Update – Bradley Boulevard, 3-sty middle-of-row apartment, fire on third floor, fire is out, checking for extension, @MCFRS_EMIHS evaluated one adult (resident) likely refusal/no transport, some other residents evacuated, light smoke conditions being ventilated https://t.co/KAcj0M18us
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 5, 2022
Piringer says there have been several recent fires involving batteries being charged. He shared on Twitter basic Lithium ion battery safety information. It is important to know signs that a lithium battery may be bad and to take action. These include change in color, odor, too much heat, change in shape, and leaking.
DYK There have been several recent fires involving batteries (charging) @MontgomeryCoMD **🔋Lithium Battery Safety 101 ** The use of Lithium Ion batteries is growing much faster than most people's knowledge of their fire safety. Here's your Tuesday morning one-minute read pic.twitter.com/DR04ZqLtBn
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 5, 2022
