Golf Cart Storage Fire Destroys 40 Carts at Kitsap Golf and Country Club: A Wake-Up Call for Golf Cart Battery Fire Safety
When a cart barn goes up in flames, the devastation is swift and total — and it raises important questions about how we store and protect our electric vehicles.
On the evening of Monday, April 27, a devastating fire broke out at Kitsap Golf and Country Club, engulfing a cart barn and destroying approximately 40 golf carts belonging to club members. The blaze, which started around 10:40 p.m., had fully engulfed the storage building by the time Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews arrived on scene.
Multiple fire departments — including Bremerton Fire Department, South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, and Navy Region Northwest Fire — were called in to assist in battling the flames. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
What Happened?
The cart barn, located off Chico Way just west of Bremerton, was one of three storage buildings used by the club. Built only two to three years ago, it had the capacity to hold around 55 golf carts. On the night of the fire, approximately 40 member-owned carts were inside — all of which were lost.
The building sat on the west side of the main parking lot, near an older cart storage facility, the club's maintenance building, and residential homes along the course's ninth green. The proximity to homes and other structures made the rapid multi-department response critical.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Kitsap County Fire Marshal.
You can read the full original article here.
Why This Should Concern Every Golf Course and Cart Owner
While the official cause of this fire has not yet been determined, incidents like these spotlight a growing concern in the golf and recreation industry: the risk of golf cart battery fire. As more courses and members transition to electric golf carts — which are charged and stored in enclosed buildings, often overnight and unattended — the potential for a battery-related fire incident increases significantly.
Lithium-ion and even traditional lead-acid batteries can pose fire risks due to:
- Overcharging or faulty charging equipment
- Damaged or aging batteries that develop internal short circuits
- Thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, which can generate extreme heat and spread rapidly to neighboring carts
- Lack of fire suppression in enclosed cart barn environments
When dozens of carts — each with its own battery system — are packed closely together in a single building, a fire that starts in one unit can cascade in minutes, creating exactly the kind of total-loss scenario seen at Kitsap Golf and Country Club.
How FireFibers Can Help Prevent Catastrophic Losses
At FireFibers, we specialize in lithium-ion fire blankets designed to contain and suppress battery fires before they spread. Our fire blankets are engineered to:
- Smother thermal runaway events at the source
- Withstand extreme temperatures generated by battery fires
- Buy critical time for fire crews to respond
- Protect adjacent vehicles and structures from catching fire
For golf courses, private clubs, and fleet storage facilities, having FireFibers blankets strategically placed in your cart barns is an affordable, proactive layer of protection. Imagine if a fire blanket had been deployed over the first cart to ignite at Kitsap — the outcome could have been dramatically different.
Don't Wait for a Fire to Take Action
The loss of 40 golf carts and an entire cart barn is a painful and expensive lesson. Whether the Kitsap fire turns out to be battery-related or not, the reality is that golf cart battery fire risk is real, growing, and largely unaddressed at most facilities.
Take the first step in protecting your investment. Contact FireFibers today to learn how our lithium-ion fire blankets can be integrated into your cart storage and charging areas. Prevention is always less costly than rebuilding from the ashes.
FireFibers — Smarter Protection Against Lithium-Ion Battery Fires.
Have questions about protecting your golf course or fleet storage facility? Contact us today for a free consultation.
