COLUMBUS — Authorities evacuated an area of the West Side and closed down access to streets for several hours Thursday morning out of fear that a fire in truck’s trailer could have caused lithium ion batteries to explode.
Police began evacuating a several-block area in Franklinton shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday and closed off several highway exits near the Scioto River after firefighters responded to the fire in the 1600 block of McKinleyAvenue.
Officers went door-to-door to alert residents about the evacuation, and the Red Cross set up a relief shelter for residents at Dodge Park on W. Broad Street.
Exit ramps from I-70 to W. Broad Street and I-670 to Grandview Avenue were closed, as was McKinley Avenue between Grandview Avenue and Central Avenue.
Although firefighters were still battling the blaze as of late morning, the evacuation order was lifted about three hours after it was issued and no injuries were reported.
It was ordered out of concern that the batteries could burn very rapidly and explode.