E-scooter battery explodes, causing fire at Calgary business

Calgary firefighters responded to a business in the 6300 block of Bowness Road N.W. on Oct. 23, 2023 for reports of an explosion.

The Calgary Fire Department is encouraging people to be cautious with their handling of lithium-ion batteries after one exploded and burst into flames in the city's northwest on Monday.

Crews were called to a business in the 6300 block of Bowness Road N.W. at 2:40 p.m. for 911 calls reporting the explosion.

Firefighters arrived to find the business filled with smoke.

The owner explained he had left the building to take out the garbage and said when he returned, the battery for an E-scooter being charged suddenly exploded.

The business owner was able to douse some of the flames with a fire extinguisher. Once there, crews took the E-scooter outside.

Though no one was injured, the fire department says staff at several neighbouring businesses had to temporarily leave their buildings due to the smoke.

"Fire crews ventilated and checked levels of CO before allowing the building and businesses to be reoccupied," said the fire department in a Monday news release.

"This was a close call and thanks to the quick actions of the business owner, greater damage was prevented."

'GROWING FIRE CONCERN'

The Calgary Fire Department says lithium-ion batteries are a "growing fire concern" due to their increasingly wide-spread use.

"Lithium-ion batteries supply power to many kinds of devices including smartphones, laptops, e-scooters and e-bikes, e-cigarettes, smoke alarms, toys, power tools and cars. If not used correctly, or if damaged, these batteries can catch on fire or explode."

As such, the fire department is urging people to handle the batteries carefully, warning citizens not to throw them, modify them or tamper with them, and not to use batteries that:

• Are swollen or dented;
• Have torn, plastic wrappers;
• Show other signs of damage or wear; and
• Have an odour, change in colour or have too much heat.

Store Lithium-ion batteries in a dry location at room temperature, and do not charge for longer than the recommended charging time as overcharging.

"Overcharging can cause your battery to overheat, which can lead to fires or explosions," said the fire department.

"Do not stack heavy objects on top of the boxes containing lithium-ion batteries. Damaged batteries can cause internal short circuits, which can lead to an explosion."