Charging battery leads to fire

A charging battery led to an apartment fire in Rexburg on Wednesday.

Around 1 p.m., a small fire started apartment at Carriage House Apartments on South First West. Firefighters extinguished the flames and left the apartment around 3:15 p.m.

Fire officials said the fire was started when a resident charged a lithium-ion remote-controlled car battery using a nickel-cadmium battery charger.

Fire Chief Corey Child encourages everyone to follow all recommended manufacturer specifications when charging electronic devices. Not all chargers work for all types of batteries.

The damage done to the apartment is about $2,000. The occupants will have to move.