Firefighters use a ladder truck Sunday to douse hot spots after battling a fire that destroyed a warehouse and several prebuilt structures at New England Rent To Own at 65 River Road in Chelsea. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
CHELSEA — A fire that destroyed a building used in the manufacturing of modular homes in Chelsea was determined to be accidental and caused by lithium batteries.
Firefighters from eight towns responded Sunday to battle the blaze, which destroyed part of the New England Rent To Own facility and several mobile homes that the company produces and sells at 65 River Road, according to officials.
The Office of State Fire Marshal determined the fire started accidentally in a part of the warehouse that stores lithium batteries, according to a news release Tuesday morning.
No one was injured or inside the building at the time of the fire.
The portion of the warehouse that burned was used to store wood and other materials used to manufacture sheds, mobile homes and more.
The fire closed a portion of River Road, also called Route 9, on Sunday afternoon from Chelsea to Augusta from 1 to 4 p.m.
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