A mobile home in southwest Ocala sustained significant damage Tuesday afternoon after a charging electric bicycle caught fire in a carport.
Marion County Fire Rescue and Ocala Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the Sweetwater Oaks Mobile Home Community at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, following multiple 911 calls from neighbors reporting visible smoke and flames.
Crews from MCFR Golden Ocala Station 20 arrived at the scene at 4:11 p.m. and encountered a carport fully engulfed in flames, with the fire rapidly spreading from the exterior carport structure into the main living quarters of the residence.
Firefighters from Anthony Station 1, Meadow Wood Farms Station 12, Friendship Station 21, and Ocala Fire Rescue Stations 1 and 4 arrived at the scene shortly thereafter to assist with suppression efforts.
While attack teams knocked down the flames, search crews entered the burning home to conduct thorough primary and secondary sweeps. Officials confirmed that no one was found inside the structure during the searches.
An electric bicycle was behind a mobile home fire in Ocala on Tuesday, May 19. Credit: Ocala Fire Rescue
Due to the rapid coordination of the responding units, the fire was officially declared under control at 4:15 p.m., just four minutes after the arrival of the first engine.
A subsequent investigation by fire officials determined that the blaze was accidentally ignited by an E-bike that had been left charging in the carport.
No injuries were reported to either civilians or firefighters at the scene.
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