I've seen plenty of photos of gas cart fires in The Villages that look a heck of a lot worse than the cart in this photo.

Probably fake news

geez, people, even I, have grown more educated about lithium, since a friend has purchased a lithium ion RV. Now I am not so scared about getting the non combustible lithium iron batteries (LiFePO4 chemistry).There are lithium ion batteries which can combust and lithium ion which can't combust. The combustable from the initial chemistries has slowly been improved and replaced with better systems and chemistries.

While i don't have total authority bias, meaning only authorities can be correct and listened to, in comparison to first have knowledge or sources, can we find out from the home owners what actually burned up?

And for those looking to convert from Lead Acid, which also burns, to non combustible Lithium ion, here is a great starter page for the cost and the safety. . I am converting as soon as I have saved up the money for sure. . huge weight savings and battery longevity. And no, I don't perform any financial analysis /payback analysis for personal choices of lifestyle. . financial concept is not applicable. ERROR#N/A

Golf Cart Batteries | Dakota Lithium Batteries

chemistry comparison
LifePO4 vs. Lithium Ion Batteries - Dakota Lithium Batteries

education is key and continuing education is how your brain is re-programmed. .

Was there
 

No, I was a few house down enjoying Easter dinner when it happened. There were quite a few emergency vehicles there including ambulances. Our hosts Facebook confirmed most of the incident pulsePoint also had notifications. There was a lot of “fire” power at the scene.

we got that part already,

where / how did the fire start and what burned up at the source?

that's all that matters. . .

Which Cart
 

I’m about 99% sure discussions around us were about which cart was involved. That’s all I got. I understand your concern. I will share if I find out for the benefit of all, but not as anything else.

I seem to remember the salesman telling my husband that there is a regulator, or safety feature, on his lithium batteries that would prevent combustion like that.

Yep.

1. - The picture shows the main garage door was cut out, probably to allow access to the fire, but there is no sign of the golf cart door which implies it may have remained intact.
2. - The driver's side of the vehicle appears to be burned which puts the fire between the vehicle and the golf cart but the car itself did not ignite. Might be just soot from the smoke that will wash right off.
3. - There is no hole burned through the roof of the garage.
4. - It is hard to see the golf cart to tell what damage there may be but it appears to still have a golf-cart shape to it and is still on its wheels which is more than can be said for the gas carts that have burned.

If this was a lithium battery fire it was certainly not typical of the horror-film fires popular on YouTube and Tik-Tok.

It would be nice to hear an official report of what burned and what started the fire.

They would have lived longer if they didn’t smoke. Yuliy Borisovich Famous last words! “Just don’t Smoke”

Could have been short unrelated to batteries?

I don’t close my eyes when I sleep. I may not be able to open them in morning.

Why do you think the Government mandates No Lithium Batteries in cargo holes of air planes??? !!!

I worked for a Lithium ion battery manufacturer and while I was on the mechanical side of battery development I do know a little about the chemistry. When you say there are Lithium batteries that combust and some that do not is misnomer. All lithium batteries can combust but to varying degrees. LiFePO4 is the safest chemistry there is that is mass produced but they are still susceptible to thermal runaway but they release heat at a much lower temperature than batteries that contain cobalt and manganese.

I would expect that most lithium batteries in golf carts sold are LiFePO4 chemistry so you probably won't see the fires that you used to see in earlier Lithium ion batteries that used cobalt and manganese. Looking at the damage in the picture it does seem like this was not an outright fire but a lower temperature thermal runaway but it still can do quite a bit of damage.

The safest lithium battery being developed is a solid state battery that does not have a liquid electrolyte as every other lithium battery including LiFePO4. They are having issues with production as it is more complex than an electrolyte battery and the energy density is lower as well. From what I've heard is that by the end of this decade is when they will be ready for mass production.

Fire isn't the only danger when a Lithium battery decides to immolate itself.

This, from the ttclub website (insurers who specialize in freight insurance and who, it can be assumed, know a thing or two about the dangers of lithium battery fires).

The toxicity of gases given off from any given lithium-ion battery differ from that of a typical fire and can themselves vary but all remain either poisonous or combustible, or both. They can feature high percentages of hydrogen, and compounds of hydrogen, including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide, as well as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and methane among other dangerous chemicals.

In terms of hazards to the wellbeing of those in the vicinity of such an incident, one particularly problematic component is hydrogen fluoride (HF). Although HF is lighter than air and would disperse when released, a cloud of vapor and aerosol that is heavier than air may be formed (EPA 1993). On exposure to skin or by inhaling, HF can result in skin burns and lung damage that can take time (hours to weeks) to develop following exposure. HF will be quickly absorbed by the body via skin and lungs depleting vital calcium and magnesium levels in tissues, which can result in severe and possibly fatal systemic effects. The hydrogen content of the released gases can give rise to vapour cloud explosion risks which have the potential to cause significant damage.

Assuming the pictures of the garage damage in an earlier post in this thread is accurate, this can well explain what would appear to be overkill (i.e. sirens, flashing lights, etc.) on the part of the first responders. They know as well as anyone the multiple dangers of a lithium battery fire and are prepared to respond as needed.

I doubt if you could bring a gallon of gasoline either.