The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) says crews responded to three fires involving lithium-ion batteries in the past two days.
Crews responded to a fire at a home in the northeast community of Coventry Hills around 9:25 a.m. on Thursday, with no fire damage reported in the home and no injuries aside from one person assessed for smoke inhalation.
“A fire investigator attended the scene and removed three electric scooters and determined the fire originated from one of the scooters as all three were being charged,” the fire department said in a statement.
2 fires Friday morning
The following morning at around 3:35 a.m., CFD crews were called to a large commercial warehouse on 106th Avenue S.E. for a fire. All staff had evacuated, and firefighters were able to stop the fire with an extinguisher.
“A fire investigator attended and spoke with staff members who reported seeing a glow from the boxes immediately before the fire,” CFD said.
“They also reported having fires in the compactors due to lithium-ion batteries being inadvertently left in boxes going through the compactor.”
About 15 minutes later that day, a fire was reported at a home in Saddle Ridge.
“A fire investigator attended the scene and determined that the fire had originated from an electric scooter that had been plugged in,” the fire department said.
WATCH | What can you do to prevent a lithium-ion battery fire in your home?:
CFD spokesperson Alex Kwan told CBC News the number of lithium-ion battery fires reported this year — 21 so far — has already surpassed 2025’s total of 19.
He said that includes lithium-ion batteries in phones, tablets, laptops, e-scooters, e-bikes, e-cigarettes and power tools.
The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs has long stressed the importance of addressing and preventing lithium battery fires.
“Our fire departments need to continue our education and training, and all users of these products need to be mindful of how we treat and use lithium-ion batteries,” said association vice-president Keri Martens.
Martens, fire chief of the Banff Fire Department, says improper charging of devices is a factor behind some fires.
“It’s not a great idea to charge these on your bed or on your sofa, or even using the wrong charging devices, the wrong cables — things like that,” she said.
It’s recommended to unplug devices once they’re fully charged to prevent overheating batteries, and to avoid leaving batteries unattended.
When it comes to vehicles like e-scooters and e-bikes, Martens recommends inspecting the battery to make sure it’s not damaged, and charging the battery outside of the vehicle and on a hard surface.