ROCHESTER — A battery pack exploded and caused multiple items to catch fire inside a Salmon Falls Estates home on Saturday, forcing the residents to find other shelter and the rescue of a cat.



Fire Capt. Willy Hoyt said firefighters were called to 11 Lilac City Estates, near Highland Street, at 3:31 p.m. for a report of a smoke detector going off and smoke inside the building. The residents had left about 45 minutes earlier to run a few errands and neighbors called in the fire, he said. A woman lives there with her boyfriend and a young child, said Fire Marshal Mark Dupuis.



Firefighters found heavy smoke and heat in the first-floor dining area of the two-story unit, which is part of a multiunit building. Hoyt said the fire was contained to the single unit.



Hoyt said firefighters "knocked it down pretty quick," but noted the fire still caused extensive heat and smoke damage to the first floor and smoke damage on the second floor. "It wasn't huge — but it definitely made an impact in the unit," he said.



Dupuis said the fire was contained to a 3-by-2-foot area. He said a rechargeable battery pack from a remote-controlled vehicle exploded and scattered flaming pieces across the room, catching multiple items on fire.



He said one piece landed below a dining room chair and caused it to catch fire, which in turn spread to a curtain. Firefighters were able to put it out with a extinguisher, he said.



Authorities were examining the battery pack as part of the investigation. Dupuis said he could not tell what company manufactured it based on evidence found at the scene. He said the remote-controlled car was an expensive model that the female occupant had purchased for her boyfriend.



Dupuis said rechargeable battery packs, particularly those for laptop batteries, have been known to explode. He said a "runaway reaction" takes place inside, causing a chemical reaction and meltdown that overheats the battery and causes a minor explosion.



Hoyt said it was fortunate that neighbors quickly noticed the smoke and heard the detector going off because the alarm eventually stopped ringing when the heat from the flames melted it.



After arriving firefighters checked to see if any part of the residence was occupied. They found a cat that was in bad condition, Hoyt said. "We got him outside (and) all things considered, he was doing pretty good," he said.



The residents had to leave due to the extent of damage from the fire, Dupuis said, and they indicated they had a place to stay. He said their home will be uninhabitable for some time because of the soot damage.



"All their belongings are going to have to be either cleaned or washed," he said, adding cleaners will have to take care of the damage to the building as well.



The residents did not have renter's insurance, Dupuis said.



Hoyt said the Red Cross was also called to assist the family