A home in the 1200 block of Tinhouse Road southwest of Hillsboro was damaged by a fire Saturday morning (Oct. 16), displacing a family of four. The occupants – a mother, father and two children, as well as the family’s pets – got out of the home unharmed, said Chief Brian Gaudet of the Hillsboro Fire Protection District.
Hillsboro Fire got a call at 10:35 a.m. about the blaze and when firefighters arrived, there was “heavy fire showing from the attached garage,” Gaudet said.
He said firefighters quickly contained the blaze but remained on the scene for about three hours.
“This fire was stopped before reaching the main portion of the house,” Gaudet said. “Unfortunately, the main portion of the house did suffer smoke and water damages. The occupants are staying with family until the repairs are made.”
Gaudet said investigators used surveillance footage from the house to determine the fire was caused by a lithium polymer battery which was on a charger in the garage.
“The Hillsboro Fire Protection District wants to caution our residents of the dangers of lipo (lithium polymer) batteries left on a charger unattended, for they have a history of causing fires,” Gaudet said. “We recommend that while charging lipo batteries you ensure you are using the proper charger and are in the area of where you are charging the battery to watch for any signs of a battery heating up or catching fire.”
The De Soto Fire Department and the De Soto Rural, Cedar Hill, Antonia, Dunklin, Mapaville and Saline Valine fire protection districts and the Valle Ambulance District.