Fire in truck carrying lithium ion batteries triggers 3-hour evacuation in Ohio

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Authorities evacuated an area of Ohio’s capital, Columbus, for several hours on Thursday out of fear that a fire in truck’s trailer could have caused lithium ion batteries to explode.

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Police began evacuating a several-block area west of downtown shortly after 7 a.m. and closed off several highway exits near the Scioto River. Officers went door-to-door to alert residents about the evacuation, and a shelter was set up at a community center.

This photo released by the Columbus Fire Department shows firefighters tending to a fire that began on a trailer carrying lithium batteries in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Columbus Fire Department via AP)

Although firefighters were still battling the blaze as of late morning, the evacuation order was lifted about three hours after it was issued and no injuries were reported.

The evacuation was ordered out of concern that the batteries could burn very rapidly and explode.

The fire was discovered at around 6 a.m., but the back of the smoking trailer wasn’t opened until around 9 a.m. because authorities were determining the best way to extinguish the blaze.

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The cause of the fire remains under investigation.