Homeowner returned from a walk to find her residence filled with smoke as crews from Folsom and El Dorado Hills responded to the Loughridge Way incident
FOLSOM – A Tuesday morning structure fire in a residential neighborhood on the 100 block of Loughridge Way prompted a large response from firefighters across three agencies after a blaze broke out inside a home and extended into the wall of the structure.
The incident was reported at approximately 9:52 a.m., bringing multiple resources from the Folsom Fire Department, El Dorado Hills Fire Department and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District to the scene.
A total of 11 different units were dispatched to the incident between the two agencies, including two truck units, five engines, a battalion chief. Two medic units were also dispatched and remained on scene due to the battery and toxic materials risk.
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke conditions inside the residence and initiated an aggressive interior attack and attic ventilation while simultaneously searching for the prime source of the fire. Crews eventually traced the blaze to a bedroom where flames had extended into the wall cavity of the home.
Firefighters opened portions of the wall to access hidden fire burning within the structure and worked to prevent further extension into adjoining areas of the residence. The coordinated effort allowed crews to contain the fire before it could spread more extensively through the home.
During suppression operations, firefighters focused attention on a residential energy storage system that included an electrical inverter and lithium batteries located within the home. An inverter is a device commonly used with solar and battery backup systems that converts stored electricity into power that can be used throughout a residence.
The presence of the large capacity lithium batteries posed an increased risk for firefighters, not only for possible a possible explosion that could cause injury to crews, but exposed firefighters to toxic smoke, requiring a full wash down of all crew members who had entered the building. While investigators had not determined whether the equipment played any role in the fire, crews exercised additional caution because lithium battery systems can present unique fire, heat and re-ignition hazards.
Folsom Times was in the area at the time of the incident and arrived shortly before firefighters began their interior operations.
The homeowner told Folsom Times she had been out for a morning walk and returned home to find something was wrong. She said that when she opened the front door, dark smoke poured from inside the residence and smoke alarms were sounding throughout the home.
Realizing the danger, she immediately closed the door, moved to a safe location and called 911.Firefighters arrived within minutes after her call.
No injuries were reported in connection with the incident at the time of this article and all occupants and pets were reportedly evacuated and accounted for at the scene, according to radio traffic from incident command.
The specific cause of the fire remains under investigation, including whether the residential energy storage system’s batteries were the source of the initial ignition of the blaze, or possibly another source or component.
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