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Transit bus fire in Maryland linked to battery pack

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Maryland county’s public transit agency says it has taken all its electric buses out of service after a fire linked to the battery pack on one of the vehicles.

TransIT Services of Frederick County spokeswoman Kendall Tiffany said in an email Thursday that the manufacturer is inspecting all five electric vehicles in the fleet.

She says the fire Tuesday in Frederick was contained in the lithium-ion battery pack on the roof. No passengers were aboard.

Lithium-ion batteries have been linked to fires in some smartphones and hoverboards, and aboard several cargo jets.

The agency put the buses in service in May after buying them from Complete Coach Works of Riverside, California. The company retrofits older buses with batteries.

Company spokeswoman Celeste Casas declined to comment, citing the continuing investigation.

Frederick County deputy dead just hours after marijuana arrest

WASHINGTON — A Frederick County sheriff's deputy died of an apparent suicide Monday in his home, just hours after he was arrested on charges of distributing marijuana, authorities said. Sheriff's officials had been serving a termination notice at Vincent Jones' Frederick City, Maryland, home and were talking with a relative around noon when they heard a loud noise from the second floor.
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