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

Part of Columbus, Ohio, was evacuated for several hours Thursday after a fire aboard a truck carrying lithium ion batteries posed a dangerous situation.

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.

DRIVER DEAD AFTER FIERY CRASH INTO CHICAGO-AREA TOLL PLAZA

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.

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.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.