Seven displaced after lithium battery fire burns Hanover apartment building

At least seven people were displaced after a fire caused by an electric bike burned a downtown Hanover apartment Monday morning, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the fire on the 100 block of Broadway in Hanover Borough around 6:29 a.m. on Monday, June 17, for a report of an apartment fire, according to York County 911 records.

When units arrived, they found fire showing from the front window of a three-unit apartment building, said Hanover Area Fire & Rescue chief Tony Clousher.

Hanover Borough Police Department officers, who arrived prior to the fire department, evacuated five residents who were still sleeping inside the upstairs apartment in the house, Clousher said.

The tenant of the apartment that caught fire told investigators that he heard an explosion after he woke up, and walked into his living room to see a fire around his e-bike, which he had plugged in to charge overnight.

"It was like fireworks going off in the room," said Clousher, who noted that during lithium ion battery fires, individual cells of the battery are often seen popping out of the battery casing.

The resident was then able to evacuate on his own, Clousher said, and was evaluated by EMS personnel on the scene for smoke inhalation.

No injuries were reported, Clousher said.

While smoke alarms were present in the rental property, they all appeared to be battery-operated and none alarmed during the fire, Clousher said. That meant that the residents upstairs only became alerted to the fire thanks to a police officer who woke them up, he said.

The second unit on the ground floor was unoccupied at the time, though the resident of that unit is displaced as well, Clousher said.

The tenant of the apartment that caught fire had just moved in the day prior, Clousher said, which meant he still had not moved much of his belongings into the apartment.

The lack of furnishings did aid firefighters, Clousher said, as there was not much fuel that could burn inside the living room where the fire broke out.

Smoke damage is throughout all three units, Clousher said, with fire damage contained to the apartment of origin.

All tenants are displaced, due to the damage and with all utilities shut off to the building, Clousher said.

2nd battery fire in 3 months

The fire marks the second time in three months that a lithium battery has led to a fire in the Hanover area, with six people being displaced after a fire in April caused by an e-scooter.

More: After e-scooter causes Penn Twp. fire, chief issues warning: 'Get it out of your house'

Clousher stressed that if you do purchase any lithium battery devices, only purchase them from a reputable and known brand, and do not use aftermarket batteries or chargers for the device.

"What I've found, generally speaking, is that if the battery comes with the piece of equipment, that it's a reasonably safe battery," said Clousher. "It's when that battery starts to go bad, that you go on Amazon and order one that you don't know where it's coming from, that quality control becomes an issue."

"If you have to replace the battery, replace it from the manufacturer of the device," said Clousher.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: E-Bike lithium battery leads to Hanover, Pa., apartment fire