Vancouver recorded 10 fire deaths in 2022, with half linked to lithium ion batteries: VFRS

Torched lithium ion batteries are shown In a photo provided by the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

Out of the 10 fire-related fatalities Vancouver recorded in 2022, the city’s fire services says half of the deaths were the result of rechargeable batteries.

The Vancouver Fire Rescue Services posted the city’s guideline on battery fire prevention alongside a warning on Twitter Wednesday.

“Don’t overcharge, modify or use damaged batteries,” reads the tweet, which singles out lithium ion batteries as the ones involved in the fires.

Mattthew Trudeau, public information officer for VFRS, says four of the remaining five fire-related fatalities were linked to smoking material, while the other was “electrical in nature.”

NO FALL OR WINTER BATTERY TRAGEDIES

Information previously provided by firefighters indicates all battery-related fires were recorded in the first half of 2022.

The city’s most recent battery-related tragedy was on June 11 at the Empress Hotel. An e-bike battery is believed to have caused an explosion and fire at the SRO, and led to one man’s fatal fall out of a window.

The other four deaths occurred within the span of two days last January, according to Fire Chief Karen Fry. One fire killed three members of the same family, while another person died in an apartment fire the following day in Vancouver’s West End.

Safety tips for the use and storage of lithium ion batteries can be found online.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Lisa Steacy