| A possible structure fire was reported in an apartment building on Wyoming Drive in the Berkshire Hills neighborhood of Spring Township on Tuesday afternoon June 2. The initial information was that a scooter was on fire inside the apartment with flames and smoke visible. Accordingly, County Communications dispatched TSFRS for Engine 85, Wyomissing FD for Ladder 79, Western Berks FD for Ladder 18 and Engine 18-1, Shillington for Engine 36, Cumru Twp for Engine 42, and Mt. Penn for RIT, along with Western Berks EMS for Medic 6512.
Upon arrival, L18 reported nothing evident from the front and side of an end-of-row apartment occupancy. The scooter was already out of the apartment, but with a residual smoke condition and unknown extension. Twp police had already removed the occupants. E85 joined L18, with L79 joining them. E36 staged on an adjacent street to established water if needed. L79 and L18 personnel established mechanical ventilation to remove the smoke condition while E85 members ensured extinguishment. The Twp of Spring Fire Marshal arrived and joined Chief 85 with the investigation.
The fire involved a charger for an e-scooter. While the lithium-ion battery was not directly involved, it certainly shows how much worse this event would have been if it had. The fire would have been faster, hotter and more toxic. It would have been more tragic had it happened at night or when unattended. Therefore, BE WARNED about charging e-devices indoors or in living areas, and when no one is present or alert enough to report it quickly. Had the occupants not noticed the overheating charger, the battery may have eventually been compromised. |
