Safety urged after golf cart catches fire
Electrical malfunction is likely cause of blaze at Avondale
TIPS TO PREVENT GOLF CART FIRES

Check the water level of your golf cart battery regularly and make sure it's filled. Low water levels can cause the battery to overheat.

Make sure the battery charger is compatible with outlets in your garage.

Have a specialist perform a maintenance check on your cart at least once a year.

When charging a cart in your garage, make sure there is proper ventilation.

Regularly check for frayed wires.

Follow manufacturer recommendations.

Mariecar Mendoza
The Desert Sun
When golfing, make sure to bring a 5-iron, putter - and a fire extinguisher.

In light of a small golf cart fire Sunday at Avondale Golf Club, local firefighters remind avid golfers to regularly maintain their carts.

"They catch on fire now and then with all the batteries and electrical mechanisms in them, so it's not uncommon," North Palm Desert Fire Capt. Brad Smith said.

Riverside County Sheriff's Department received a call regarding a Club Car golf cart, believed to be a 1980 model, that caught on fire at 1:22 p.m. By the time firefighters responded, someone had already put out the fire with a garden hose, Smith said.

In addition to the fire, witnesses said they heard an explosion, which Smith said was probably due to an aerosol can found under the seat of the cart.

Smith said the fire was likely caused by an electrical malfunction because the fire originated around the cart's battery.

The owner of the cart was on the fairway at the time of the fire and was not injured.

Smith estimated the golf cart fire resulted in $2,500 in damages - an unnecessary expense if owners simply maintained their carts, Phillip Stengel of Larsen's Golf Carts said.

"We recommend people have their carts fully serviced once a year just like you'd do with your car," Stengel said.

This is especially important for snowbirds, he said.

"It's so inexpensive and can really save you in the long run," he said, adding that a maintenance check can cost as low as $65.

Smith, who said most golf cart fires happen in owner's garages while the carts are being charged, said prevention can save owners a lot of money in damages in the long run.