Large fire consumes Surrey, B.C., e-bike store, requires 36 firefighters

Dozens of firefighters in Surrey, B.C., spent hours fighting a large blaze at a store selling e-bikes, where smoke was so thick that crews had to battle the flames from outside.

Mike McNamara, assistant chief of operations with the Surrey Fire Department, said it's part of a growing number of difficult-to-extinguish fires that erupt when e-bike batteries burn.

McNamara said 36 firefighters and 12 trucks spent about six hours Saturday night fighting the fire that destroyed the business and appears to have damaged others nearby.

"They attempted to make entry, and they found that the smoke was extremely thick inside the building," he said.

"They got inside, they tried to find where the fire started, but it was very difficult because the involvement of the fire and the thickness of the smoke, and then it became a bit of a hazard for them."

Crews focused on a "defensive attack" from outside and the fire was declared out around 1 a.m.

Photos from the scene show heavy black smoke and bright flames shooting from the top of the building. 

McNamara said the cause of the fire has not been determined and no one was hurt, though a firefighter did get treated for heat exhaustion. 

He said e-bike and scooter batteries can make fires harder to douse.

"The lithium, and some of the chemicals inside of them too, they don't put out very easily," he said. "So it just becomes difficult for firefighters. And they burn really hot too, so it spreads the fire very quickly."

McNamara said the department has created handouts to raise awareness of e-bike and e-scooter safety.

Some of the tips include not using aftermarket chargers, as well as keeping them out of direct sunlight and hot vehicles, so they don't get too hot.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Seth Wenig