In a release issued Wednesday, St. Catharines Fire Services said its investigation into the late Dec. 6 blaze has found it to be accidental.
The release said lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in devices such as smartphones, laptops, e-bikes, e-cigarettes and toys.
At about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 6 firefighters were called to reports of a fire at 214 St. Paul St.
Crews arrived to find a “well-involved fire” on the second floor of a residential apartment. All residents in the building were evacuated.
Paramedics transported a man suffering from burns and decreased consciousness to local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He was later transferred to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital in critical condition. He remains in hospital.
A second man was taken to local hospital with shortness of breath.
In a release issued Wednesday, St. Catharines Fire Services said its investigation into the late Dec. 6 blaze has found it to be accidental.
The release said lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in devices such as smartphones, laptops, e-bikes, e-cigarettes and toys.
At about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 6 firefighters were called to reports of a fire at 214 St. Paul St.
Crews arrived to find a “well-involved fire” on the second floor of a residential apartment. All residents in the building were evacuated.
Paramedics transported a man suffering from burns and decreased consciousness to local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He was later transferred to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital in critical condition. He remains in hospital.
A second man was taken to local hospital with shortness of breath.
In a release, fire Chief Dave Upper took the opportunity to remind residents that these batteries should be treated carefully.
“Due to their design structure, they can overheat, causing thermal runaway and thus fires,” he said.
The department provided safety tips, which include:
• Use only the battery(s) and charger that came with the item from the manufacturer;
• Do not swap out batteries from between devices, even though they may fit;
• When charging batteries, keep away from combustible items;
• Never charge a device under a pillow, or on a bed or couch;
• Do not keep charging a device once it is full charged — monitor the heat produced while charging — unplug if significantly hotter than starting temperature;
• Do not attempt to repair the batteries, as damaged batteries will react;
• Do not make your own battery cell packages.
Lithium-ion batteries should also never be placed in the garbage. They need to be disposed of at a battery recycling location. A list of locations can be found on Niagara Region’s website at www.NiagaRaregion.ca/Waste/Disposal/Items/Batteries.aspx.