SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – Fire crews responded to a golf cart battery fire at Bent Tree Golf Club near midday Monday, according to Sarasota County Fire Department officials. The club is located south of Beeridge Road and east of I-75.
The fire involved the golf cart’s lithium-ion battery. Employees at the course pulled the battery from its storage location and attempted to smother it with water before emergency crews arrived. Officials said the attempt was unsuccessful but aided firefighters in extinguishing the blaze. The fire was out within 10 minutes. No injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged.
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Sarasota County Fire Department officials said lithium-ion battery fires are more dangerous than many people expect. The batteries are found in a range of common household items, including golf carts, e-bikes and scooters.
“The same ion batteries, I mean, they proliferate our society now that we use them in so many things,” an official said. “But they get into something called thermal runaway, where it will create a lot of smoke, a lot of heat and, you know, combustion.”
Officials also said that a battery that is damaged or charging abnormally should not be plugged in near other objects, as that can also spark a fire.
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