ACCIDENTAL FAILURE OF LITHIUM-ION BATTERY CAUSES FIRE AT TIDALHEALTH

Salisbury, MD - On December 18, 2023, at approximately 1:25 a.m., firefighters from the Salisbury Fire Department were dispatched to Tidal Health Medical Center, located at 100 East Carroll Street in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland for a reported structure fire. 

Upon arrival, firefighters found the Environmental Services Storage Closet was the main location of the fire. A failure from a lithium-ion battery of an electric vacuum cleaner attached to the wall is what caused the fire. 

It took 10 firefighters approximately 22 minutes to get the fire under control. 

The medical facility suffered an estimated $10,000 in loss of contents due to the fire. 

The incident occurred in an employee-only area and was controlled by the automatic sprinkler system.  No patients were displaced or required evacuation.  

The sprinkler and alarm system were placed back in service and hospital operations were unaffected by the incident.