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Dozens of Lime scooters damaged in Spokane Valley warehouse fire

A pile of burned Lime scooters are stacked outside an unmarked warehouse in East Spokane Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 after firefighters put out a fire in the building overnight. The cause is under investigation. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Emma Epperly emmae@spokesman.com(509) 459-5122

Dozens of damaged Lime scooters were piled outside of a Spokane Valley warehouse Monday morning following a fire that blackened the signature green frames and melted the plastic housings that hold lithium batteries.

Spokane Valley and Spokane firefighters were called to the warehouse about 11:30 p.m. Sunday on a report of smoke coming from the building in the 5500-block of East Mallon Avenue, according to the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

About 15 percent of Lime’s Spokane fleet - or about 150 electric scooters and bikes - was damaged, a Lime spokesman told KXLY.

A spokesman said earlier Monday that availability of the popular scooters should not be affected by the fire losses.

No one was in the warehouse at the time, a Lime spokesperson said.

Firefighters quickly upgraded the fire to a two-alarm fire, according to Spokane Valley Fire’s news release. About 50 firefighters and 21 fire trucks responded.

The fire was reportedly started by a building electrical problem.

The lithium batteries in the lime scooters caught fire and burned at high temperatures making the fire more difficult to put out, according to the fire department.

A pile of burned scooters are stacked outside an unmarked warehouse in East Spokane, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, after firefighters put out a fire in the building overnight. The cause is under investigation. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
A pile of burned scooters are stacked outside an unmarked warehouse in East Spokane, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, after firefighters put out a fire in the building overnight. The cause is under investigation. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

The fire was contained to the Lime section of the building complex, however smoke damage affected Spokane Aerial Performance Arts located in the complex.

“Actually we have a good deal of smoke damage and we have already arranged to relocate our classes to Spokane gymnastics,” said owner Sherrie Martin. “We have a lot of mats and the smoke gets into the foam and the silks.”

The aerial performance arts troupe performs about 30 times a year and focuses on “all things circus.”

Lime moved into the warehouse about the same time the company started operations in Spokane, Martin said.

Since no one was hurt, Martin’s main focus is continuing classes and working toward getting back into their regular space, she said. The time line for a return is unknown until investigators make more progress, she added.

“I don’t really know anything yet because they’re investigating the cause,” Martin said.