A fire broke out in a container holding 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries at the Port of Montreal on the evening of September 23.
This prompted authorities to issue shelter-in-place orders for residents in the area between Vimont Street, Hochelaga Street, Haig Avenue, and the St. Lawrence River. Residents were advised to stay indoors, close windows and doors, and turn off ventilation systems due to the foul-smelling smoke from the fire.
Montreal’s fire department worked to contain the blaze and monitored air quality throughout the evening. By around 10:30 p.m., officials confirmed the fire had been controlled, the air quality posed no danger, and the shelter-in-place orders were lifted.
IMPORTANT – Un avis de confinement est en cours dans un secteur attenant au port de Montréal, dans l’arrondissement de Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, en raison d’un incendie à proximité. Merci d’éviter le secteur. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/JZaRrDX4QR
— Ville de Montréal (@MTL_Ville) September 23, 2024
Power, which had been shut off as a precaution, was restored, and local roads like Notre-Dame Street, previously closed, were reopened to traffic.
No casualties were reported, and authorities noted there was no risk of the fire spreading.
There are four main hazards associated with Li-ion batteries:
- Fire (Li-ion batteries contain electrolyte, an ignitable liquid);
- Explosion (resulting from the release of ignitable vapor/gases in a confined space);
- Thermal runaway (a rapid self-heating fire that can cause an explosion);
- Toxic gases that these hazards can produce.
According to Allianz, the most common causes of these hazards are:
- Substandard manufacturing of battery cells/devices;
- over-charging of the battery cells;
- over-temperature by short circuiting
- damaged battery cells or devices.
What we want to know is from where did those lithium batteries come from? What we they destined for?