Lithium-ion battery fire spreads to Lakeland home, kills 3 dogs: LFD

Neighbor saves family after battery sparks fire

A Lakeland family is thankful to be alive after a lithium-ion battery sparked a fire that destroyed their home. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.

LAKELAND, Fla. - Three dogs died in a fire sparked by a lithium-ion battery, according to the Lakeland Fire Department.

What we know:

It happened around 2 p.m. on Saturday at a home on Lake Parker Avenue North.

When firefighters arrived, they said that a shed and a camper on the property were engulfed in flames that had spread to the attic of the main house, causing significant damage.

After bringing the fire under control, crews stayed on the scene to check for and put out any remaining hot spots.

Dig deeper:

Lakeland fire investigators said the fire that started in the shed was accidental and caused by the "failure of a lithium-ion battery during charging."

A neighbor alerted the people inside the home to the fire and crews said they were able to get out safely.

No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.

However, three dogs died as a result of the fire.

The backstory:

Shortly before firefighters responded, Mika Fellows was home with his wife and three-week-old son.

"Had a neighbor run in through the front door yelling, 'back of the house is on fire,' so I jumped up into action, and I ran out right away with him," said Fellows. "I told my wife, her and the baby needs to get out."

"My first thought was getting the dogs out and trying to save the house if we could. We had a couple of water hoses to try and spray it. We were standing 15 feet from the fire. My entire right side was glowing. It was so hot."

Fellows says a chainsaw battery was charging in the shed and there was a small propane tank nearby.

What you can do:

Firefighters encourage people to charge battery-powered equipment in an open area and to follow manufacturer recommendations.

"You don't want to store them and charge them above 105 degrees," said Jim Hewitt, Lakeland Fire's Battalion Chief. "I wouldn't keep them in a 100 percent climate-controlled but keep them in an area that's not going to be too hot or too cold not that we deal with that too often but in the event it does dip down." 

What they're saying:

"This incident shows how quickly fire can spread from an exterior source into a home," said Lakeland Fire Department Fire Chief Doug Riley. "We encourage residents to use caution when charging battery-powered equipment and to follow manufacturer recommendations."

For now, Fellows and his family are living in RVs on the property and he's grateful to his neighbor for sounding the alarm.

"He was a real hero that day," said Fellows. "Without him, me, my wife and three-week-old would've been in the house while the fire was burning."