Fire investigators have traced the caused of a blaze in a vehicle at Lourdes Hospital to a battery.

The fire at the Binghamton hospital was discovered just before 5 a.m. Thursday in a truck operated by Shred-it, a business that shreds documents.

The vehicle, which had been parked near the hospital building, was moved to a safe spot in a parking lot off Lourdes Road.

The smoky blaze was confined to shredded paper in the back of the truck. It was extinguished after about 30 minutes.

Fire marshal Alan Gardiner on Friday said the blaze has been ruled accidental. He said investigators determined a battery had been discarded with some papers.

The battery went through a shredder, apparently causing sparks that ignited the fire. Gardiner noted there was "a lot of paper and dust" in the back of the truck. He said the vehicle sustained no damage.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire and it did not affect operations at the hospital.

Burning paper in the truck generated a significant amount of smoke. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
Burning paper in the truck generated a significant amount of smoke. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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