Fire caused by lithium-ion battery destroys mobile home
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ST. ANTHONY — A mobile home is considered a total loss after a lithium-ion battery that was left charging caused a blaze.
The incident happened at a mobile home in St. Anthony after 9 a.m. Tuesday on the 400 block of South 12th West, according to Assistant Fire Chief David Fausett with the South Fremont Volunteer Fire Department.
Fausett said nobody was home at the time of the fire. There were no injuries and the Chaplains of Idaho responded to help those living there.
“The owner had no insurance and the renter had no insurance,” Fausett said.
Brian Owens, a deputy fire marshal with the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office, said the cause of the fire came from a flashlight battery.
“It was in the process of charging…it was about an hour and a half later the house caught fire,” he said.
He told EastIdahoNews.com there have been quite a few lithium-ion battery fires across the state of Idaho within the last year.
Owens said it’s important to keep an eye on lithium-ion batteries when they are charging.
“When they are done charging, remove them from the charger. Don’t leave them unattended while charging. We have seen a lot of instances with the lithium battery. They are famous for having a failure. Don’t leave them unattended,” Owens said.
Firefighters were on the scene for two and a half hours.
The St. Anthony Police Department and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist.
