Fire in truck carrying lithium ion batteries leads to 3-hour evacuation in Columbus, Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Authorities evacuated an area of Ohio's capital, Columbus, for several hours on Thursday 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 west of downtown shortly after 7 a.m. and closed off several highway exits near the Scioto River. Officers went door-to-door to alert residents about the evacuation, and a shelter was set up at a community center.

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.

The evacuation was ordered out of concern that the batteries could burn very rapidly and explode.

The fire was discovered at around 6 a.m., but the back of the smoking trailer wasn't opened until around 9 a.m. because authorities were determining the best way to extinguish the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This photo released by the Columbus Fire Department shows firefighters tending to a fire that began on a trailer carrying lithium batteries in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Columbus Fire Department via AP)

This photo released by the Columbus Fire Department shows firefighters tending to a fire that began on a trailer carrying lithium batteries in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Columbus Fire Department via AP)

This photo released by the Columbus Fire Department shows firefighters tending to a fire that began on a trailer carrying lithium batteries in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Columbus Fire Department via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — A trailer packed with people celebrating May Day overturned in southern Germany on Wednesday, leaving 30 injured, 10 of them seriously, police and media reports said.

According to the German news agency dpa, the accident happened near the city of Freiburg. Police say it took place in the village of Kandern, and that rescue helicopters were deployed, including some from neighboring Switzerland, as well as a large number of rescue and police forces.

None of the injured were in life-threatening condition, dpa reported.

Local papers said the trailer that was being pulled by an agricultural machine overturned at around 1 p.m.

Reports said the people on the trailer were celebrating May Day, which is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights.

Police said that the injured included a group of friends aged between 20 and 25 years who came from surrounding villages and were celebrating on the open trailer when the it toppled over on a road going downhill.

Rescue workers stand next to an overturned May wagon after an accident in Kandern, Germany, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police say an accident involving a trailer in southwestern Germany has left 30 people injured, 10 of them seriously. German news agency dpa reported that the accident happened near the city of Freiburg on Wednesday. (Gudrun Gehr, Oberbadisches Verlagshaus/dpa via AP)