SALT LAKE CITY — An electric scooter caught fire Wednesday in a third-floor hallway in a University of Utah campus building.
The 140 people in the building were all safely evacuated, according to a statement on the university’s website. The state of the Talmage Building, which hosts a variety of science and math classes among others, will be re-evaluated Thursday mrning.
Firefighters from the Salt Lake City Fire Department were able to put the fire out quickly. The fire mostly affected the scooter, with minor damage to some floor tiles. A disaster cleanup company is working to clear out the leftover electrical smoke smell.
A preliminary investigation found the fire to be related to the scooter’s lithium ion battery system. The scooter belonged to a student and was not being charged when the battery caught fire.
