ARLINGTON, Va. — The Arlington County Fire Department is spreading an important reminder to residents after a scooter caught fire overnight inside an apartment.
Firefighters responded to North Quinn Street, off of Clarendon Boulevard, just after 4:10 a.m. on Friday after a report of a scooter ablaze inside of an apartment. Once crews arrived at the scene, they found the scooter that had caught fire, but it was no longer ablaze once they arrived.
According to the fire department, the fire was contained to the scooter with no damage to any of the residents of the building, firefighters were also not injured. The smoke detectors alerted residents, who then dialed 911.
It was determined that a battery malfunction while charging was the cause of the fire.
Following this incident, the fire department said they want to remind residents to only purchase and use lithium-ion batteries that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory, also to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
In addition, people should immediately stop using the battery if any odor is noticed, change in color, too much heat, or odd noises. If it is safe to do so, move the malfunctioning battery away from anything that could catch fire. In case of an emergency, call 911.
