A battery failure caused an explosion in a pickup truck parked near the Blaine House on Thursday,
The black 2015 Chevrolet Silverado was parked on Chamberlain Street about 2:30 p.m. when an explosion destroyed it, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The truck had been parked since 7:30 a.m., and witnesses told police they saw smoke coming from the truck bed before the small blast.
The blast was caused by a lithium-ion battery attached to a cordless drill left in the back of the truck. Such spontaneous combustion with lithium-ion batteries can happen, although it isn’t common, according to Moss.
It can be caused by mechanical defects, poor design, or being left in hot areas or direct sunlight, Moss said Sunday.
No one was injured in the explosion.
