Patricia Hotel, Aneki Housing for Women, Nora Hendrix Place and building at 566 Powell St. all sustained damage in the Downtown Eastside
A Vancouver non-profit housing provider says four of its buildings in the Downtown Eastside were damaged in fires over the past three weeks because of problems associated to people charging lithium-ion batteries for electric bikes.
No injuries were reported in the fires, but in some cases tenants had to be temporarily relocated because of smoke, structural and water damage in the buildings, which are home to low-income people.
The spate of fires concerns Janice Abbott, CEO of Atira Group of Women Serving Services, who said it’s the first time the agency has been hit by fires caused by the batteries, which also power scooters and other devices such as cellphones.
“We do have a fire every four days across our portfolio, but these four in…