Montgomery County firefighters warn of e-scooter fires

Montgomery Co. firefighters warn of e-scooter fires

E-scooters catching fire is a big concern for Montgomery County firefighters who say they've been dealing with them a lot. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal spoke with MCFD about the dangers of e-scooters.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - E-scooters are becoming a big concern after officials say the lithium-ion batteries commonly used in the devices can cause fires.

FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal spoke with Chief Scott Goldstein of Montgomery County Fire & Rescue who warned about the dangers of the batteries. "Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of energy into a very small container," Goldstein said. "The gentleman was in the back of his apartment, heard loud bangs and pops, came out to see the e-scooters on fire."

"They can have these catastrophic meltdowns or malfunctions," Goldstein said, ", and when they do malfunction it is quite an energetic and energized event."

Goldstein said you don't have to shy away the batteries altogether, but you do need to be careful with them, especially when charging.

In particular, he said it's important you don't leave the batteries unattended when charging and not to charge them overnight.