Fire from lithium-ion battery forces evacuation at Cambridge shelter

A Cambridge shelter had to be evacuated after a lithium-ion battery sparked a fire. CTV’s Hannah Schmidt reports on the danger they pose.

A small fire at The Bridges in Cambridge prompted a full evacuation early Sunday morning.

Smoke filled the second and third floors as emergency crews arrived at the Simcoe Street shelter around 12:40 a.m.

“It was like ‘get out, get out, get out,’ so everybody came out not knowing what’s going on,” said Ron Gropp, a resident at The Bridges.

The Cambridge Shelter Corporation said there was around 80 shelter individuals and 16 tenants in the apartments at the time.

Officials said the fire started when a lithium-ion battery from an e-bike overheated while charging in one of the building’s units.

“It was terrible. The third floor got a lot of smoke. It was basically a mess,” said Steve Katruck, a resident at The Bridges.

According to the Cambridge Fire Department, the resident moved the battery into a stairwell when it entered thermal runaway. That limited the damage to a small area, which officials described as minimal.

“So it very well could have been a close call, but quick actions by the occupants, hearing the sound and realizing that there was something wrong with the battery and to remove it from the apartment itself,” said Eric Yates, chief fire prevention officer.

Five fire stations responded to the alarm, including a rescue truck.

Waterloo Regional Police assisted with the evacuation and a Grand River Transit bus was brought in to keep residents warm while crews cleared smoke from the building.

Cambridge Fire said no serious injuries were reported and everyone was let back inside the shelter once it was deemed safe. No one was displaced.

“Our team will continue to emphasize lithium-ion battery safety as part of our ongoing public education efforts, with a focus on awareness and prevention activities across the community,” Cambridge Fire explained in an email to CTV News.

The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal said that lithium-ion battery fires are becoming more common.

“This year to date, we’re up to 120. That comes with the fact that a lot more of the devices in our homes are powered by lithium-ion batteries. We are seeing a significant increase in fires when they aren’t used properly, where they aren’t charged properly, when they aren’t stored properly,” said John Mcbeth, with the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.

To avoid a hazard, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office suggests to always follow suggested charge times, only use certified batteries, never improvise with makeshift batteries and always dispose of batteries at designated sites.