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Firefighters responded to an e-scooter fire at Casey House just before 3 p.m. Saturday.
The fire has been extinguished, Toronto Fire says. Paramedics say they transported ten patients with minor injuries, but couldn’t confirm how many patients were sent to hospital.
Casey House is a specialty hospital for people living with or at risk of HIV, located near Jarvis Street and Isabella Street.
The small fire started in an inpatient room that was vacant at the time, communications director Lisa McDonald said in an email.
The fire seemed to be caused by a lithium battery, McDonald said, adding that e-bikes and e-scooters are not allowed inside Casey House.
Twelve inpatient clients were evacuated, she said.
Outpatient services will open as scheduled on Monday morning, McDonald said. “We will be monitoring over the weekend as we learn more.”
Earlier this year, Toronto’s fire chief Jim Jessop called on the federal government to increase regulation on lithium-ion batteries, calling battery fires related to e-bikes and e-scooters “the largest growing fire safety risk in the city.”
WATCH | What to know about battery-related fires:
What to know about risks around lithium-ion batteries as reports rise in battery-related fires
Batteries that are commonly found in e-bikes, smartphones, laptops and many other electronic devices are being blamed for a 162 per cent spike in Toronto fires. CBC’s Dale Manucdoc has what you need to know.
The number of fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries in Toronto has more than doubled in the span of two years, the city says.
From 2022 to 2024, the number of fires jumped from 29 to 76, according to a city news release.
