The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called to investigate a residential structure fire April 25 on Exeter Street in Burlington that caused about $750,000 in damage.
Crews responded with smoke and flames showing. In all it took nine vehicles and 28 firefighters to extinguish the fire in three hours. Two people were at home.
The fire is believed to have started in the garage with a lithium battery on an electric bike, said a news report. The significant increase in lithium battery fires is being tracked by the OFM.
The fire department said residents must follow manufacturers recommendations for storing, charging, and caring for lithium batteries. In addition residents must not remove smoke alarm batteries to solve nuisance noise. Install smoke alarms with a hush button that will temporarily silence the alarm. The smoke alarm will re-set itself after several minutes. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries every year. Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. Smoke alarms can increase your chances of surviving a fire by up to 50 per cent.
There were no physical injuries caused by this incident.