E-bike shop in Surrey, B.C. destroyed in a weekend fire

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 9:24 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Dozens of firefighters spent hours warring a ample blaze that destroyed astatine slightest 1 store successful Surrey, B.C. implicit the weekend.

It took 36 firefighters astir six hours to enactment retired the occurrence astatine EV Revolution, an electrical bike and scooter store successful a portion mall, successful the Whalley neighbourhood.

Quest Non-profit Grocery Market, which is adjacent to EV Revolution, also suffered important harm owed to the fire.

The Surrey Fire Service was called to the scene at 104 Avenue and 139 Street connected Saturday, conscionable aft 7 p.m.

Mike McNamara, adjunct main of operations with the Surrey Fire Department, said crews initially entered the building, but were forced to retreat owed to aggravated vigor and heavy smoke. Firefighters past shifted to a antiaircraft onslaught from outside, arsenic conditions wrong rapidly became excessively unsafe to continue.

"[Firefighters] exited the gathering conscionable successful lawsuit the ceiling came down … and the ceiling did travel down," McNamara said.

No 1 was injured, but 1 firefighter was treated for vigor exhaustion. 

Crews said the occurrence was declared retired connected Sunday astir 1 a.m. 

In a connection shared aft the fire, EV Revolution said it wanted to wide up speculation astir the cause.

"This occurrence was not started by e-bikes," according to the statement. "This occurrence was caused by an aged outdated electrical strategy successful the attic."

The concern said it had unopen disconnected each its power at 5 p.m. and the occurrence started 2 hours later.

The Surrey Fire Department is inactive investigating the cause of the fire. 

In the meantime, McNamara confirmed lithium batteries successful the gathering contributed to the fire's strength erstwhile it was underway.

"We cognize that the batteries did play a portion successful the occurrence load," helium said. "The thermal runaway starts moving successful the batteries and past they vigor up quicker than they dissipate. And past that occurrence conscionable grows and grows and it's precise hard to extinguish for us."

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Theodora Lamb, the enforcement manager of Quest, said the occurrence caused important harm to the market store.

"I deliberation world is mounting in," she said. "It does look that we've mislaid our marketplace successful Surrey."

There is fume and h2o harm and the extortion is wholly gone, she said.

The market store, which serves much than 2,000 low-income clients successful Surrey each week, is 1 of 5 non-profit markets operated by the enactment successful the region.

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"We won't beryllium capable to get backmost successful that marketplace immoderate clip soon," Lamb said. "The assemblage has mislaid a root of affordable groceries." 

The plaza also houses different businesses including a fittingness centre and a quality proviso shop. 

EV Revolution said it plans to determination to a caller determination by August.

McNamara said it was fortunate that the gathering had a firewall, which protected neighbouring businesses from much extended damage.

The occurrence work is utilizing the incidental arsenic a reminder for residents to beryllium cautious with battery-powered devices heading into the summer.

Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries person go much communal successful caller years, including immoderate that person been fatal successful Vancouver.

McNamara said the section has created handouts to rise consciousness of e-bike and e-scooter safety.

Some of the tips see not utilizing aftermarket chargers, arsenic good arsenic keeping them retired of nonstop sunlight and blistery vehicles, truthful they don't get excessively hot.