York apartment fire sparked by charging battery for model race car, chief says

YORK, Maine — A fire at an apartment building on Long Sands Road on Sunday has been ruled accidental, according to Fire Chief Chris Balentine.

Firefighters responded to a reported building fire at 64 Long Sands Road at approximately 4:40 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered a fire inside a wall on the second floor.

Balentine said a charging battery overheated and ignited, setting the nearby wall on fire. The battery belonged to a small model race car, he added.

Balentine said there was “nothing suspicious, whatsoever” about the incident.

Nobody was injured during the fire, which took firefighters a single hose and less than an hour to address.

“Very minimal water was used,” Balentine said. “Damage was kept to a minimum.”

Scott Berger is the owner of the building, according to Balentine. While the building has several apartments, the fire only involved two of them. The tenants of those apartments were able to return there after the incident, Balentine added.

Firefighters from Kittery, South Berwick, Ogunquit, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, provided station coverage.

Balentine said battery fires are a significant concern. He referred to New York City, which has experienced many such fires as people have charged batteries for electric bicycles, or e-bikes. In September, the New York Times reported that lithium battery-related fires had killed 14 people and injured 93 others during the first nine months of 2023.

Even though the fire in York on Sunday resulted in no injuries and minimal damage, and required only a quick effort by firefighters, Balentine still had a “takeaway” for people who charge batteries for their model cars, e-bikes, and other devices.

“People need to charge their batteries when they’re present,” he said.