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