Two separate blazes were sparked by lithium-ion batteries in Toronto Thursday, one in an apartment in the Keelesdale neighbourhood and the other at a hotel in the Jane-Finch community.
Dramatic photos, posted to social media by Toronto Fire Services Chief Jim Jessop, show the damage. Two people were treated for minor injuries in the apartment fire.
E-bike battery fire in Toronto
An e-bike battery fire caused “severe” damage to an apartment unit in Toronto on Thursday morning, fire Chief Jim Jessop said.
Toronto Fire Services responded to the blaze in an apartment at 2701 Eglinton Ave. W., west of Keele St., just before 5:30 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they reported visible flames from a second-floor unit and heavy smoke that extended up to the third floor of the building.
Jessop posted photos of the damage caused by the fire on X, showing the blackened interior of the apartment with burned floors, walls and ceilings, and charred furniture and appliances. He said the incident involved a “lithium-ion e-bike battery.”
“These fires burn hot and fast, putting individuals and firefighters at risk,” Jessop said in his post.
The smoke from the fire spread to neighbouring units, Toronto fire said, causing smoke damage. The building’s property management firm is now assessing those units, according to fire officials.
“Smoke can do a lot of damage, even if the fire doesn’t make it out (of a unit),” a spokesperson for Toronto fire said.
Two people were taken to hospital for assessment after they sustained minor injuries, possibly from smoke inhalation, paramedics said.
No one in the apartment needed to be rescued from the unit, Toronto fire said.
Phone battery fire in North York
About 12 hours later, Toronto fire responded to the second lithium-ion battery fire — in a cellphone — at a Comfort Inn in North York, at 66 Norfinch Dr.
Crews arrived at around 5:30 p.m. after fire alarms rang and the blaze was under control “very quickly,” a spokesperson said.
“These incidents can ignite without warning, spread rapidly, and release toxic fumes,” Jessop said in his post on X, along with a photo of the damaged phone.
No one is believed to have been injured in the fire.