Fire officials in Vancouver are warning of a spike in lethal fires brought on by lithium-ion batteries as a memorial grows for a person killed by a battery explosion.
On Saturday, an explosion at the single-room occupancy (SRO) Empress Hotel on the Downtown Eastside left one individual lifeless and two injured.
Firefighters stated a person in a second-floor suite had an overcharged e-bike battery, which subsequently exploded. He then fell from the suite window to his demise in an alley.
Downtown Eastside residents recognized the victim as Shayne Charleson, a resident of the low-income resort close to Hastings and Main streets.
Officials say he’s the seventh individual to die from a hearth in Vancouver this 12 months — and the fifth demise to be brought on by a lithium battery hearth.
“This is a problem and this is a problem not only in the city of Vancouver. This is something that we’re starting to see across North America,” stated Vancouver hearth chief Karen Fry.
“And Vancouver, if we’re on trend with where we’re sitting right now … we’re in big trouble.”
Fry stated Vancouver had 5 deaths from lithium battery fires in complete final 12 months. The metropolis has already matched that quantity six months into 2022.
The chief additionally pointed to statistics launched final week by the province’s hearth commissioner, which confirmed an “alarming” uptick in the quantity of fires that required emergency responses in 2021.
She urged the general public to be extra cautious round battery-operated units, and likewise to not overcharge or tamper with batteries.
Batteries very prevalent
Lithium-ion batteries are the most typical sort of moveable battery bought right this moment. They’re used in all the pieces from cellphones and laptops to electrical automobiles and bikes.
Matthew Trudeau, public data officer for the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service, stated lithium-ion batteries can create fires which are very troublesome to extinguish as a result of of a “thermal runaway effect” that’s precipitated by the chemical substances inside the batteries.
“They become very problematic for some types of extinguisher,” he stated. “A water extinguisher is typically not going to do too much to it.”
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Fry and Trudeau stated that in densely populated cities like Vancouver, extra persons are shopping for electrical automobiles such as e-bikes, scooters, and unicycles to get round.
But whereas an e-bike was the trigger of Saturday’s explosion on the Empress, Fry and Trudeau stated any battery-driven gadget or charger might ignite a hearth if improperly dealt with.
They stated residents ought to purpose to get respectable chargers and units, licensed by an accredited security physique, and shouldn’t restore them with out security precautions in place.
“I’m hoping that the province of B.C. and the fire commissioner’s office … starts providing some more public education and research into lithium battery fire deaths,” Fry stated.
“We always know that cooking and smoking are our major risks. But this is a new risk.”
Victim remembered fondly
The victim of Saturday’s explosion, Shayne Charleson, was remembered by a buddy as a “mellow, laid back kind of guy.”
Evan Collier stated Charleson beloved skateboarding and tinkering. The two had identified one another for over eight years, based on Collier.
“He was a quiet guy … if it was broken, he could fix it,” he stated. “He’d pass it back to you before you could finish saying it couldn’t be done.”
The trigger of Saturday’s explosion continues to be beneath investigation, however firefighters say it was probably unintentional.
Collier stated bike sellers in the Downtown Eastside typically tamper with batteries on e-bikes and e-scooters earlier than promoting them, resulting in risks for the client.
“These guys are souping up bikes with fake homemade battery packs,” he stated. “Mixing lithium with dry cell and acid.”
Fry stated hearth inspectors go to the Downtown Eastside day by day to coach constructing operators about protected hearth practices and the chance of overcharged e-bikes, particularly inside SROs.
She wish to see laws mandating that e-bikes not be saved inside items, to cut back the chance of fatal battery explosions.