Calgary Fire Department Responds to Multiple Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

The Calgary Fire Department responded to three separate fires incidents over the past 24 hours involving lithium-ion batteries.

At around 9:25am on Thursday August 6, fire crews responded to 0-100 block of Covercreek Mews NE for a structure fire. Crews arrived at two story residential home with a front attached garage. Firefighters noticed smoke staining along the garage door and were met by occupants outside. Crews were shown inside the home and lead to the interior access door to the garage where crews found heavy smoke conditions. On entry to the garage, crews observed thick dark smoke but no visible flames. A fan was set up at the front door to ventilate. There was no fire damage inside the home. One occupant was assessed for smoke inhalation by Emergency Health Services Alberta. No other injuries were reported. A fire investigator attended the scene and removed three electric scooters and determined the fire originated from one of the scooters as all three were being charged.

At around 3:35am on Friday August 7, fire crews were dispatched to the 6600 block of 106 Avenue SE for a fire at a large commercial warehouse. Crews arrived and all staff had self-exited the building and the alarm system was active. Firefighters completed a size up and located a fire in an exterior compactor. A fire extinguisher was used to knock down the fire. A fire investigator attended and spoke with staff members who reported seeing a glow from the boxes immediately before the fire. They also reported having fires in the compactors due to lithium-ion batteries being inadvertently left in boxes going through the compactor. The fire investigator determined this was the most likely cause of this fire.

Shortly after, at around 3:50am, fire crews responded to the 0-100 block of Saddlemont Close NE for a structure fire. Crews arrived at a two-story residential home with smoke coming from a side basement door. All the occupants had self-exited and there were no injuries reported. Firefighters stretched a hose line to the basement and encountered low visibility due to the smoke and did a quick knock down the fire. A cat was rescued during the search in another part of the home and reunited with the owners on scene. The fire was contained to the basement suite. A fire investigator attended the scene and determined that the fire had originated from an electric scooter that had been plugged in.

The Calgary Fire Department would like to remind Calgarians to follow safe charging practices to reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires:

• Once a battery has charged to 100%, unplug the device to prevent overcharging the Lithium Battery
• Avoid leaving batteries unattended while charging
• Avoid charging batteries that show signs of damage, swelling, overheating, or physical deterioration
• Follow manufacturer charging instructions and use compatible charging equipment
• Learn how to safely dispose of batteries and keep them out of blue, black, or green carts

Please visit www.calgary.ca/fire for more fire safety and prevention information.

Courtesy: The City of Calgary Newsroom