Toronto fire chief warns of lithium-ion batteries’ risks after e-bike fire on subway

Toronto’s fire chief says fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries are a growing concern after a recent blaze aboard a subway train showed how quickly flames sparked by a faulty battery can spread.

Videos posted on social media showed flames raging inside a Toronto subway train, with smoke billowing from a train car, on New Year’s Eve.

Fire Chief Matthew Pegg says that fire was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery powering an e-bike and was put out by fire crews on Sunday afternoon.

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He says one person was hurt and treated for non-life-threatening injuries by paramedics.

Pegg says faulty batteries are causing more fires in Toronto, with 55 fires in the city last year that resulted from the failure of lithium-ion batteries, up from 29 such fires in 2022.

Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries used in electric cars, e-bikes, laptop computers and cellphones, as well as other electronics.

Everybody “get out, get out” was call by ⁦@TTC staffers. They deserve a major pat on back. Excellent response. ⁦⁦@ChiefPeggTFS⁩ and his ⁦@Torontofire1⁩ team as well. It was not an easy fire to put out as e-bike battery blazes usually are. One man was injured. pic.twitter.com/LrTwA2jKiq

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) January 1, 2024

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2024.