Authorities evacuated an area of Ohio’s capital Columbus for several hours on Thursday over concerns that a lithium-ion battery may have exploded in a truck trailer fire.
Driver dies after crashing into Chicago-area toll booth
Police began evacuating a several-block area west of downtown after 7 a.m. and closed several freeway exits near the Scioto River. Police officers went door to door asking residents to evacuate, and evacuation shelters were set up at community centers.
This photo released by the Columbus Fire Department shows firefighters responding to a fire that started in a trailer containing lithium batteries in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Columbus Fire Department, via AP)
Fire brigades continued to extinguish the fire early in the morning, but the evacuation order was lifted about three hours after it was issued, and no one was injured.
An evacuation was ordered over concerns that the batteries could burn quickly and explode.
The fire was discovered around 6 a.m., but the back of the smoking trailer wasn’t opened until about 9 a.m. as authorities considered how best to extinguish the fire.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
