GULF SHORES — Terry Shelton was asleep in his Gulf Shores beach house around 3 a.m. when he heard voices from outside.

"I woke up; I looked out the window; I could see two police officers going around the building," Shelton recalled. "I thought, well, maybe they're chasing someone. I didn't know, and so I realized then, at that point, my eyes were burning and I couldn't see very well. My cameras were on, and I could see the fire was underneath. It was already burning underneath."

Shelton jumped up and made his way outside to a police officer. Soon after, his business, Coyote Beach Sports, which provides rentals for beach gear and amenities such as e-bikes, kayaks and slingshots, was destroyed by fire during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Carl Wittstruck with the Gulf Shores Police Department told GCM that investigators believe a lithium battery explosion was the cause of the fire. Along with Shelton, another person was behind the structure in a trailer, but both made it out without injuries.

Shelton told GCM that the building is unsalvageable and will be torn down. Having run the business for 13 years, he said he is working on setting up shop in one of the buildings adjacent to Mudbugs Dive Bar just around the corner on Gulf Shores Parkway.