A vehicle fire early Wednesday morning in the Veirs Mill Village area in Wheaton was linked to a scooter with a lithium battery stored in the trunk, according to Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Pete Piringer.
MCFRS units were dispatched around 4:30 am to the 4500 block of Gridley Avenue near Dewey Road, where crews extinguished the fire. HazMat teams assisted with the incident and coordinated the safe disposal of the damaged lithium batteries, placing them into an overpack container, and the Maryland Department of the Environment was notified. The vehicle was declared a total loss.
ICYMI (~430a) 4500blk Gridley Av, Veirs Mill Village, vehicle fire, involved scooter w/ lithium battery in trunk, fire was extinguished, HazMat assisted & handled/coordinated disposal of damaged hazardous scooter batteries. Vehicle total loss. https://t.co/kpPhoGJppj pic.twitter.com/ItLtwDjntO
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) January 28, 2026
