MARGATE – Firefighters had their hands full Monday but managed to put out a fire while standing in a foot of water.
The Fire Department was dispatched to a home at 315 N. Wilson Ave. at 4:30 p.m. Monday after a neighbor called 911 to report smoke coming from a vent in the garage of a home in his neighborhood. The duplex was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw white smoke coming from the crawl space and from around the garage door. The neighbor had the passcode to the garage door, which provided easy access to the garage where they experienced heavy smoke. Crews stretched a hose line and used a thermal imaging camera to locate the source of the fire.
Members of Platoon 1 under the direction of Capt. David Funk, quickly extinguished the fire.
Fire Chief Dan Adams said the fire started from a skateboard powered by a lithium ion battery that was left sitting in about 6 inches of flood waters.
Longport Volunteer Fire Department offered assistance and handled another fire alarm while Margate firefighters tended to the blaze.
“This is a reminder to everyone that if you live in flood prone areas to make sure that E-bikes, E-scooters and skateboards are out of potential floodwaters and off of the ground,” Adams said. “Ironically, safe handling of lithium ion batteries is the theme for this year’s NFPA National Fire Prevention Week message.
