Columbia fire officials blame an explosion and house fire on a lithium-ion battery. On Friday, September 19, at 10:31 p.m., Columbia firefighters were called out for a report of an explosion and fire in the 4100 block of Grant Lane. When firefighters got to the scene, they saw heavy smoke coming from the one-story home. They found that the lithium-ion battery on an electric wheelchair had exploded in the home.
The fire damage was mainly in the immediate area of the wheelchair. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from expanding to the rest of the home. The explosion threw fragments of the battery and pieces of metal throughout the space.One person in the home was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
