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Toronto fire chief calls lithium-ion battery fires ‘greatest public safety risk’ facing the city
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CityNews Toronto
Toronto’s fire chief used his appearance before City Council on Wednesday to once again raise concerns about lithium-ion battery fires, calling it the greatest public safety risk facing the City of Toronto.
In the 2025 annual report to City Council, Chief Jim Jessop said the number of lithium-ion battery-related fires in the city increased 214 per cent in the last three years, and that fire crews have already responded to 50 such fires this year.
In a video shared Monday, Jessop showed an e‑bike erupting into flames, its battery pack violently exploding and scattering burning cells across a driveway.
“This is the greatest and most evolving public safety risk in the City of Toronto,” said Jessop, while highlighting the increasingly difficult response situations firefighters are facing.
Fire officials have repeatedly warned that when these batteries fail, they enter what’s known as thermal runaway, a chain reaction that causes rapid overheating, explosions, and unpredictable projectiles.