GREENSBORO — Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and an active fire in the basement of a two-story home on Country Club Road in Greensboro on Monday.
The homeowner had left the residence approximately 20 minutes before the alarm, fire investigators say.
The fire was quickly extinguished and fire damage was limited to one room in the basement.
The remainder of the home suffered moderate smoke damage.
Greensboro Fire Chief David Brochu Jr. contacted investigators for assistance in determining the origin and cause of this fire.
Investigators say that the homeowner had left a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery charging in the basement.
The battery was the type used to power cordless power tools.
Investigators determined that the battery had a catastrophic failure, most likely due to over-charging, causing it to explode.
The exploding battery debris caught other nearby combustibles on fire, which eventually caught structural framing members on fire in the basement.
Fire investigators say it is strongly recommended that people monitor any re-chargeable battery device during the charging phase and also follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
This fire is classified as accidental and not considered suspicious.
There were no reported injuries.
