A golf cart with lithium-ion batteries erupted in flames in The Villages, posing a challenge to firefighters.
The golf cart was traveling Saturday afternoon on the multi-modal path near the Sarasota Executive Golf Course, where the driver reportedly noticed smoke and pulled over.
The golf cart erupted in flames and smoke could be seen as far away as Lake Sumter Landing. The golf cart driver escaped injury.
The Villages Public Safety Department quickly responded to the scene, however initial attempts to extinguish the fire with water were unsuccessful, according to Fire Chief Brian Twiss.
“Recently, VPSD equipped our Battalion Chief vehicles with reusable fire blankets designed specifically for vehicle fires involving lithium-ion batteries. This incident marked the first use of the fire blanket, and crews on scene reported that it was effective in extinguishing the fire,” the fire chief said.
He cautioned that this method of extinguishment is not as fast as water traditionally used on normal vehicle fires, and firefighters had to remain on the scene for approximately an hour to ensure the fire was fully suppressed.
Firefighters across the country are experiencing challenges with lithium-ion batteries.
“When damaged, lithium-ion batteries don’t just burn—they can go into thermal runaway, an unstoppable chemical reaction where cells heat rapidly and begin to spew toxic and flammable gases. These gases can cause unpredictable explosions that shoot flaming debris like buckshot out of the barrel of a gun. The fires that batteries produce burn with extraordinary heat that can melt through metal storage containers. A burning battery can appear to be extinguished, only to reignite like a trick birthday candle days or weeks later,” according to the National Fire Protection Association.