Memorial grows for victim of fatal battery explosion in Vancouver as officials warn of risks

Fire officials in Vancouver are warning of a spike in deadly fires caused by lithium-ion batteriesas a memorial grows for a man killed by a battery explosion.

On Saturday, an explosionatthe single-room occupancy (SRO) Empress Hotel in the Downtown Eastsideleft one person dead and two injured.

Firefighters said a man in a second-floor suite had an overcharged e-bike battery, which subsequently exploded. He then fell from the suite window to his death in an alley.

Downtown Eastside residents identified the victim as Shayne Charleson, a resident of the low-income hotel near Hastings and Main streets.

Officials say he is the seventh person to die from a fire in Vancouver this year and the fifth death to be caused by a lithium battery fire.

"This is a problem and this is a problem not only in the city of Vancouver. This is something that we're starting to see across North America," said Vancouver fire chief Karen Fry.

"And Vancouver, if we're on trend with where we're sitting right now we're in big trouble."

Fry said Vancouver had five deaths from lithium battery fires in total last year.The city has already matched that number six months into 2022.

The chief also pointed to statistics released last week by the province's fire commissioner, which showed an "alarming" uptick in the number of fires that required emergency responses in 2021.

She urged the public to be more cautious around battery-operated devices, and also to not overcharge or tamper with batteries.

Batteries very prevalent

Lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of portable battery soldtoday. They're used in everything from cellphones and laptops to electric cars and bikes.

Matthew Trudeau, public information officer for the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service, said lithium-ion batteries can create fires that are very difficult to extinguish because ofa "thermal runaway effect" that is precipitated by the chemicals within the batteries.

"They become very problematic for some types of extinguisher," he said. "A water extinguisher is typically not going to do too much to it."

WATCH | Experts talk about safety risk with e-bike batteries:

Concerns raised over e-bike batteries after hotel explosion

2 years ago

Duration 1:59

Concerns are being raised about the safety of poor quality e-bike batteries after an overcharged or faulty one became the suspected cause of a deadly hotel fire in Vancouver.

Fry and Trudeau said that in densely populatedcities like Vancouver, more people are buying electric vehiclessuch as e-bikes, scooters, and unicyclesto get around.

But while an e-bike was the cause of Saturday's explosion at the Empress, Fry and Trudeau said anybattery-driven deviceor chargercould ignite a fire if improperly handled.

They said residents should aim to get legitimate chargers and devices, certified by an accreditedsafety body, and should not repairthem without safety precautions in place.

"I'm hoping that the province of B.C. and the fire commissioner's office starts providing some more public education and research into lithium battery fire deaths," Fry said.

"We always know that cooking and smoking are our major risks. But this is a new risk."

Victim remembered fondly

The victim of Saturday's explosion, Shayne Charleson, was remembered by a friend as a "mellow, laid back kind of guy."

Evan Collier said Charleson loved skateboarding and tinkering. The two had known each other for over eight years, according to Collier.

"He was a quiet guy if it was broken, he could fix it," he said. "He'd pass it back to you before you could finish saying it couldn't be done."

The cause of Saturday's explosion is still under investigation, but firefighters say it was likely accidental.

Collier said bike sellers in the Downtown Eastside often tamperwith batteries on e-bikes and e-scooters before selling them, leading to risks for the buyer.

"These guys are souping up bikes with fake homemade battery packs," he said. "Mixing lithium with dry cell and acid."

Fry said fire inspectors go to the Downtown Eastside daily to educate building operators about safe fire practices and the risk of overcharged e-bikes, especially within SROs.

She would like to see regulations mandating that e-bikes not be stored within units, to reduce the risk of fatal battery explosions.