House fire sparked by golf cart bought just an hour earlier
FAIRMONT, W.Va - West Virginia first responders are blaming a house fire on an electric lithium-battery-powered golf cart that was purchased an hour before the blaze started.
What we know:
The Valley Volunteer Fire Department posted about the incident on its Facebook page, saying it occurred on May 19.
Fire crews arrived and found the golf cart fully engulfed in flames and smoke coming from all four sides of the residence.
The homeowner and his pet dog were found safe outside.
It took about 15 minutes to get the fire under control.
What we don't know:
An investigation continues into what exactly started the fire.
The risk of lithium batteries
Dig deeper:
Lithium batteries are popular because they pack significantly more energy into a small package. But their chemistry makes them more likely to catch fire under certain conditions because, unlike other rechargeable batteries, they contain a flammable electrolyte and are kept pressurized.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a Facebook post by the Valley Volunteer Fire Department in West Virginia, which detailed the events of a house fire on May 19. This story was reported from Los Angeles.