WA news LIVE: Cloverdale unit destroyed by lithium iron battery

A fire has broken out at a unit in Perth’s eastern suburbs this morning, gutting the property. It’s believed the blaze, which started around 4am at a home on Belmont Avenue in Cloverdale, was caused by a lithium iron battery. Three people were at home at the time, and were alerted to the danger by a smoke alarm. They were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation. Department of Fire and Emergency Services district officer Steve Lusk said it took firefighters around an hour to bring the blaze under control. “The fire appears to have started in one of the bedrooms, caused by a lithium iron battery on charge for an escooter,” he said. “The fire has gutted the house, it got into the roof space.” The fire was contained to the one unit. Firefighters have attended more than 130 lithium iron battery-related fires in Western Australia this year alone - which equates to around three a week.