Mobility scooter fire in Benalla
Two Benalla residents had a lucky escape after a mobility scooter caught fire yesterday.
Four CFA units from Benalla and Baddaginnie were called to a house fire in Benalla just before 7.30am.
When they arrived, they discovered an electric mobility scooter outside and on fire, which was damaging the exterior of the house.
District 23 Commander Daryl Owen said the occupants were alerted to the fire through working smoke alarms and neighbours, who used a garden hose to try and extinguish the blaze.
“Neighbours were alerted to the fire before the occupants because the fire was outside,” he said.
“The neighbours called 000 and as they were alerting the occupants, smoke alarms were also going off inside.”
District 23 Commander Owen praised the neighbours for assisting and said this incident was a further reminder for everybody to ensure their smoke alarms are serviced and working properly.
“In this case the fire was on the front door of the house and the neighbours could see it as they were getting ready for work and school,” he said.
The fire destroyed the scooter and caused minor damage to the exterior of the house.
CFA Fire Investigators and Victoria Police attended and determined the cause was an electrical fault during charging of the wet cell lead batteries (non-lithium batteries).
District 23 Commander Owen urged the community to only use the original manufacturer battery which adhere to all proper safety regulations.
“By the occupants charging this mobility scooter outside, this has saved significant damage to the house and quite possibly their lives,” he said.
The incident was deemed safe at 7.44am.