A lithium-ion battery on a scooter exploded Wednesday, causing a fire in a backyard storage area at a Clairemont home, the homeowner said.
The fire broke out at around 2:50 a.m. in the 3300 block of Ogalala Avenue, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
SDFD said a 10-by-20-foot plastic structure and a few trees caught fire. Crews prevented the blaze from spreading to the home on the property.
No injuries were reported.
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Fire-Rescue did not confirm the blaze was due to lithium-ion batteries or the scooter but did notice them at the scene. They said the cause was accidental.
“We got a couple of batteries back here," first responders said at the scene, referring to the lithium-ion batteries in homeowner Doug Baker's stored electric scooter, which was just three years old.
Baker says the blaze destroyed the shed, some equipment and his 21-foot Malibu ski boat.
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Less than a week ago, three hybrid airport shuttle vehicles were damaged after a lithium-ion battery ignited at the Aladdin parking structure on Kettner Boulevard. Firefighters said it took about half an hour, which officials described as an "extended time," to put out the fires because of the batteries.
NBC 7 has covered at least seven such fires in the last 12 months.
Tips to prevent fires linked to lithium-ion batteries
"When you charge devices, heat is your first sign that you have something going on," Jeff Schwen, a San Diego battery salesman, told NBC 7 in April after a series of battery fires.
Schwen recommends buying the highest-quality batteries you can afford. Lithium-ion batteries are graded A, B and C, with A being the highest quality.
"I would always try to pick a brand that I have done my research on for good reviews and look for good name brand," Schwen said.
Schwen says the cheaper batteries often have inferior cell protection from high or low voltage.
Another tip to remember is the longer the warranty, the more confidence the manufacturer has in the product.
