‘Catastrophic failure’ of e-bike battery pack causes city police building to burn

Garrett Cabeza, Spokesman-Review

(Spokesman-Review) — A “catastrophic failure” of an electrical bicycle lithium-ion artillery battalion being charged caused a occurrence past week that destroyed a Coeur d’Alene Police Department instrumentality retention building, according to nan Idaho Department of Insurance.

The early-morning occurrence connected June 9 destroyed nan auxiliary building adjacent Kathleen Avenue and Ramsey Road. It’s wherever police, codification enforcement and animal power person offices, Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Craig Etherton said astatine nan time.

“This was an unfortunate and unexpected nonaccomplishment that caused nan occurrence and is being ruled an accident,” Idaho State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl said successful nan release.

Among nan losses were 16 “four-wheeled” vehicles and a ample bid trailer nan section uses for “complex” incidents, Etherton said. Several constabulary vehicles, including motorcycles, were besides destroyed, according to a Department of Insurance news release.

Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told nan City Council Tuesday nan constabulary section is successful nan process of identifying items mislaid successful nan fire.

He said nan occurrence fundamentally destroyed each K-9 portion items and specialty units, for illustration SWAT equipment. He said a marque caller constabulary car pinch less than 70 miles connected it was destroyed.

“The scope of this is huge,” he said.

The city’s security institution will behaviour a forensic analysis, but nan results will not beryllium known for respective months, which is emblematic for an security institution because “the grounded merchandise is truthful new, and nan nonaccomplishment is truthful great,” nan merchandise said.

Investigators focused connected precocious acquired battery-operated electrical bikes, 1 of which showed grounds of a nonaccomplishment of nan artillery pack.

“Officers assigned to motorcycle patrol received training connected nan e-bicycles’ usage and charging aft usage earlier they were placed into service,” nan merchandise said. “Examination of nan charging position showed that it was decently plugged into an outlet, and location was nary grounds of misuse aliases anterior harm of either nan e-bicycle aliases charging unit.”

Fire investigators from nan Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and nan Coeur d’Alene Fire Department investigated.

“This was a difficult, multi-day investigation,” authorities occurrence marshal Knute Sandahl said successful nan release. “There were galore analyzable aspects of nan occurrence that needed to beryllium sorted out.”

The Coeur d’Alene City Council unanimously approved Tuesday an emergency declaration to let nan metropolis to expedite nan process of purchasing replacement items without having to comply pinch general bidding procedures.

“I’m not asking to spell connected a spending spree aliases requesting further backing from council,” White said. “We’re conscionable asking that nan metropolis state an emergency because of nan catastrophic occurrence truthful we tin circumvent immoderate of those lengthy processes.”

White wrote successful a City Council unit study nan nonaccomplishment will apt beryllium successful nan millions of dollars. The City is insured, and it’s hoped security proceeds will screen nan full loss.

White said occurrence sprinklers were not installed successful nan building because it wasn’t required by code. He said nan section recommended nan astir $15,000 sprinklers beryllium installed anterior to nan occurrence and will urge sprinklers beryllium installed if a caller building is constructed.