Saskatoon business reacts after e-bike battery fire causes $1.5M in damage

A Saskatoon business is reacting after an e-bike battery fire over the weekend caused $1.5 million in damage. Hallee Mandryk reports.

Fenced off debris and the smell of chemicals are still present after the Saskatoon Fire Department spent 16 hours battling a battery fire over the weekend. The sizable fire has left Bolt Mobile’s Battery Boys location on Circle Drive unusable for the foreseeable future.

“It’s been a challenging time. Obviously when you see your flagship location go up in flames, it’s never a good feeling. Tim and Linda Epp started this business back in 1989, and we’ve been at this location here since 2008, so almost 20 years. And a lot of good memories here, So the nostalgia of that is hard to take sometimes. But we’re going to rebuild,” Kevin Kindrachuk, the marketing manager for Bolt Mobile, said.

According to the fire department, the blaze was caused by a faulty e-bike battery, which resulted in an estimated $1.5 million worth of damage.

Kindrachuk shared that it has been a stressful time for the business. Fire crews responded to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. on Friday evening, and continued working on the scene well into Saturday morning.

“You’re always optimistic that... they’re going to contain it. But due to the thick black smoke and the contents that were burning inside the building, the firefighters had to fight it from the outside. So it ended up being a 16-hour fire and a lot of firefighters,” Kindrachuk said.

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Deputy Chief Rob Hogan of the fire department said fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are proving to be a challenge for many fire departments.

“The world of batteries has advanced so fast, it’s really hard for us to catch up. So the training that we were doing even two years ago, we realized now is not the best. So we’re continually having to evolve in our training... If we have a lithium ion battery fire, we’re not going to extinguish it, we’re going to protect the environment, protect the scene around it, let the battery consume itself and then go from there,” Hogan said.

The deputy chief added that while crews were able to officially determine that this fire was caused by one of the batteries, the damage typically caused by the product often makes it quite challenging to definitively prove that it is the source of a fire.

“If you do any research on lithium ion battery fires, you’ll see the trend that’s going on around the world. So that’s why...when we talk about [safety], use the correct battery, use the correct charger, make sure the battery is in good shape. If there’s any issues, don’t charge it and take it to an authorized service centre,” Hogan said.

Hogan emphasized that the chemicals and toxins emitted through a fire like this one require a lot of additional care on the part of fire crews when it comes to being mindful about personal protective equipment.

Kindrachuk said the process of dealing with insurance providers and fire inspectors is still in progress, and will likely take some time before those at Bolt Mobile learn the fate of the location. While the business is hoping to rebuild, the future of it’s flagship store is currently unclear.

“There was extensive damage to the interior of the entire 7,200 square foot building. It’s a big space with a lot of rooms. A lot of things burned and just the smoke damage alone, the water damage alone, it is a Cindercrete building, but we don’t know where we’re going to go — with it with this building,” Kindrachuk said.

In the meantime, extra staff have been scheduled at the three other Bolt Mobile locations throughout Saskatoon. Kindrachuk said it has been encouraging to receive so much support in the past few days, and the team is looking at options to ensure they have a location in the city’s north end soon.

“Thanks again to the Saskatoon community for all the support. Our whole motto around Bolt Mobile was ‘little perks, big difference’. And we hope you guys come back and see us at those and those other locations that we’re currently open at, and hopefully we’ll be back here soon,” Kindrachuk said.