Maryland officials say electric scooter caused house fire that displaced 12 people

An e-scooter is being blamed for a house fire in a small Maryland town that displaced 12 people and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. 

Fire officials responded Thursday to the fire in Derwood, Maryland – about a 40-minute drive north of Washington, D.C.  

Firefighters encountered “heavy fire” conditions from an occupied middle of the row townhouse, Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service said. 

Residents at the home where the fire started and residents next door were alerted by smoke alarms and exited their homes without injuries, Piringer said. 

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There were 12 people in all displaced, including seven adults and five children. At least 65 firefighters were on scene to battle the flames. 

A preliminary investigation into the origin of the fire determined that a charging e-scooter in the home’s basement ignited nearby combustibles. Total damages were estimated at around $650,000. 

Lithium-ion batteries E-scooters have been blamed for a spate of fires in recent months. In January, an e-scooter was blamed for a fire inside a New York City home housing a daycare and dental lab that injured 18 children. 

In New York City alone this year, there have been five fire-related deaths where officials have said the cause of the blaze was an e-bike, out of nearly 60 total e-bike-related fires in 2023. Last year, there were six e-bike-related fatalities in the city. 

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.