TORONTO, August 5, 2026 – After a series of residential fires in Toronto involving lithium-ion batteries, Fire Chief Jim Jessop is again calling on the provincial and federal governments to take legislative action and strengthen regulation of e-bikes, e-scooters and related battery products.
Toronto Fire Services data shows there were 91 lithium-ion battery-related fires in the city in 2025, compared with 29 in 2022, representing a 214 per cent increase over three years. By the end of July this year, firefighters had already responded to about 50 such fires. Jessop called it one of Toronto’s most serious and constantly evolving public safety risks.
Early on August 5, a two-alarm fire broke out at a City-run shelter in Etobicoke that had been converted from a hotel. Firefighters found burned lithium-ion batteries inside the room where the fire started, but investigators have not yet confirmed whether the batteries caused the fire or how they may have affected it. Earlier, in the high-rise fire at 666 Ontario Street, damaged e-bike batteries were believed to have intensified the flames. That incident sent four people to hospital, including two children.
Fire officials emphasize that finding burned batteries does not mean investigators have determined that the batteries were the cause of a fire. A professional investigation is still required. However, when lithium-ion batteries enter “thermal runaway,” they can heat up rapidly, shoot flames and explode repeatedly within a short period, making an ordinary residential fire much harder to control.
Jessop said firefighters have recently found more than a dozen e-bikes in individual residential units. Current rules do not clearly limit how many e-bikes can be stored inside one residential unit. He has called on Ontario to amend the fire code to reduce the risks created when large numbers of devices and batteries are stored in one place.
He also said some batteries have suddenly exploded while firefighters were entering homes to search and rescue occupants, throwing burning battery cells into surrounding areas and directly threatening the safety of residents and emergency crews. The City has previously supported stricter national product rules and safety certification standards, especially for untested, unknown-source or modified batteries and chargers.
However, stronger regulation does not mean banning residents from using e-bikes. For people who rely on e-bikes for food delivery or commuting, future policy is expected to focus on product certification, matching chargers, storage limits and safe charging in residential buildings, rather than a full ban on compliant devices.
Before new rules are introduced, fire officials recommend that residents use only manufacturer-approved batteries and chargers, avoid charging overnight or when no one is watching, and avoid placing devices near doors, hallways or escape routes. Batteries that are swollen, cracked, giving off an unusual smell, overheating or have been exposed to water should be stopped from use immediately and should not be charged again.
The provincial government has not yet announced whether it will amend Ontario’s fire code. As the number of related fires continues to rise, how to balance support for electric mobility with the safety of high-rise residential buildings is expected to become a key issue in the next stage of discussion.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
