Subway Fire in Toronto Caused By E-bike Battery
Bruno Long
Yesterday in Toronto's Sheppard-Yonge subway station, a fire broke out inside a subway car when a lithium-ion battery caught fire, injuring the owner of the electric bike and closing down subway service for a few hours as crews suppressed the fire.
Toronto's Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told reporters that the failure of a lithium-ion battery pack caused the fire. However, specific details of the battery or electric bike are still unknown and are being investigated by the Toronto Fire Services unit and local police.
“This is common when lithium ion batteries fail, as they contain a significant amount of energy which is being stored in a small battery enclosure,” Pegg said. “The battery failed and went into what is known as ‘thermal runaway,’ and shortly thereafter, ignited, resulting in an intense and aggressive fire.”
Thermal runaway occurs when temperatures rise quickly inside a battery unit, causing a series of chain reactions that release more and more energy, usually resulting in very high temperatures and often causing highly volatile and dangerous fires. Oftentimes, these battery fires are caused by non-UL-certified batteries, using improper chargers or modifying electric bikes or scooters.
Similar to what has been going on affecting those in New York City, Toronto has seen an increase in battery-related ver the past few years, growing from 29 in 2022 to almost double that number (55) in 2023. This troubling trend has caught the attention of the Toronto Fire Service, with TFS Chief Pegg acknowledging that technology oftentimes moves faster than regulators, making it difficult to stay ahead of the game.
Chief Pegg did however mention that a task force has been created to help combat these concerns, stating that:
“Toronto Fire Services is working in collaboration with the City’s Strategic, Public and Employee Communications team on the development of a comprehensive lithium-ion battery safety campaign, which is now under development and being planned for launch in 2024.”
Thankfully the subway car was at a scheduled stop when the fire broke out, significantly reducing the potential for significant injuries, with only the owner of the electric bike sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. If this fire had occurred while the car was in motion and inside of a tunnel, the risk of injury to more people would have risen significantly.
This fire is just another reminder that regulations, codes and standards need to be continually upgraded to keep up with all of the technological changes in the electric bike industry. There are many ways to keep the risks of fire to a minimum, which include buying only electric bikes with UL-certified batteries, always using the supplied charger that comes with your e-bike, never modifying your battery or cables on your e-bike, and using safe charging practices in your home.
