Toronto’s fire chief says fires started by faulty lithium-ion batteries are on the rise and pose a “significant risk” after a Dec. 31 fire on a subway train showed how speed the flames can spread.
Videos posted on social media showed flames raging inside a Toronto subway train, with smoke billowing from a car, on New Year’s Eve.
Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said the fire was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery powering an electric bike and was extinguished by firefighters on Sunday afternoon.
“Fires resulting from problems with lithium-ion batteries represent a significant risk,” Pegg said.
“When lithium-ion batteries fail and ignite, the result is an intense fire that develops quickly and poses an immediate risk to anyone nearby,” he said.
According to Matthew Pegg, one person was injured and treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
The fire chief says faulty lithium-ion batteries are causing more fires in Toronto – 55 fires in 2023, compared to 29 such fires in 2022.
“That represents a significant number of fires. It gets our attention, he said. But this must be put in context of the more than 1,600 fires that have occurred in our city over the last year. »
Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries used in electric cars, electric bicycles, laptops and cell phones, as well as other electronic devices.
According to Matthew Pegg, these fires are difficult to investigate because the flames often completely destroy the battery.
He added that modifying a lithium-ion battery or its charger, using the electrical device in an unsafe manner and using an unapproved or uncertified battery are among the things that can cause fires .
Last October, two people were taken to hospital after inhaling smoke from an electric bike fire in a Toronto residential building. Earlier that month, fire crews responded to a Toronto Housing Corporation building for a fire involving an electric bike.
Last month in New York, one person was killed and six others were injured when a fire linked to an electric bike battery ripped through an apartment. This fire occurred three weeks after a similar fire killed three members of a family.