ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) — An explosion, early Tuesday morning, rocked a garage in Erie while firefighters were inside.
It was so powerful, it completely blew off the garage door. Fire officials have issued a warning about electric vehicles and electric modifications at your home.
A total of three Mountain View Fire Rescue firefighters were inside the garage when water made contact with the electric vehicle’s battery, officials said, causing that explosion.
“The homeowner came and found smoke and woke up her son and got out of the house when the smoke alarms went off as well,” Doug Saba said.
Saba is the deputy fire marshal for Mountain View Fire.
A family living at a home in the Morgan Hill neighborhood saw and smelled the fire, so naturally, they called fire crews.
“They did not find the fire seat,” Saba said, “so they came back upstairs, went into the garage and found a fire within the vehicle that was plugged into the garage.”
Officials said they hit the vehicle with water upon finding smoke.
“That mixed with the battery and created a volatile explosion within the garage,” Saba said.
That volatile explosion knocked firefighters who were in the garage, off their feet.
“The three inside were thrown against the wall,” Saba said. “They were checked later on that day and they were all good.”
The force of the explosion also impacted the garage door.
“[The door] buckled completely and then was shot about 30 feet away from the building,” Saba said.
At the exact moment of the explosion, Saba said, one member of the crew was directly in front of it.
“There was a battalion chief that was walking in front of the door,” Saba said. “The door actually cleared him and nicked his helmet, but he’s fine.”
The firefighters were not seriously injured, as incredible as that is, neither was the home.
Officials said there was no damage to the integrity of the home’s structure.
The incident serves as a reminder to always have the electrical infrastructure of your home modified by a professional.
“Make sure you don’t do that home modification to your own electrical panel,” Saba said. “Make sure you have an electrician supply the power that’s needed for your EV vehicle.”
Officials said that does not seem to suggest this is what caused the explosion.
No cause has been determined for the incident. Mountain View Fire said it’s working with a home insurance company to determine that.