Rechargeable battery believed to be cause of Transcona house fire: city

A rechargeable battery might have caused a house fire in Winnipeg's Transcona neighboourhood, the City of Winnipeg said in a news release.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service went to a house on Ralph Avenue East at about 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, where they found heavy smoke and flames coming from inside.

Crews had the fire under control at 1:51 p.m., the city said.

No injuries were reported, and the city's emergency social services team responded to the scene to find temporary housing for one person.

The city said initial observations suggest the cause of the fire was accidental and related to charging lithium-ion batteries, a type of rechargeable battery.

To avoid a fire caused this way, the city tells residents to only use the battery designed for the device they're charging, along with the charging cord it comes with, never charge a device on a flammable surface, and keep batteries at room temperature.

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