Lithium batteries catch fire in the Port of Montreal, blaze now under control

A fire involving 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries located in one of the Port of Montreal terminal containers prompted the City to issue a lockdown notice for the area adjacent to the port on Monday evening in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough. The situation was back to normal by Tuesday morning.

The preventive lockdown notice, which had been put in place early in the evening, was lifted around 10:30 p.m. On its Facebook page, the City of Montreal indicated that the fire was now under control.

“Although the intervention could still last a few hours, the tests carried out confirm that no toxicity was detected in the plume of smoke. Any danger to the health and safety of the population has been ruled out,” the City’s publication read.

One firefighter was taken to hospital however, their injuries were minor according to the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM).

About 60 people were evacuated, as a preventive measure.

The fire department had said that there was no risk of spread but they asked residents to keep their windows closed and stay indoors amid the heavy smoke as a precautionary health measure.

On Tuesday morning, the SIM reported that there was almost no more smoke at the scene. They are now awaiting the arrival of a specialized cleaning team to take charge of the batteries.

“The lockdown notice has been lifted and the situation has been restored on port territory. The incident, which focused on one container, has not caused any known damage at this stage,” the Port of Montreal said on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning.

Around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, in a post on the social network X, the SIM announced that its hazardous materials intervention group was responding to the intersection of Bossuet Street and Notre-Dame Street East.

The Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough then posted a post on its Facebook page asking people living between Vimont Street, Hochelaga Street, Haig Avenue and the St. Lawrence River to stay indoors and close their doors, windows and ventilation systems as a precaution.

Around 7:50 p.m., the post was updated to ask anyone who smells or sees the plume of smoke to do the same.

The fire at the Port of Montreal began around 4:40 p.m. in a container filled with the batteries.

As a result of the incident, Notre-Dame St. was closed in both directions.

Montreal police officers were also called to the scene to assist the firefighters.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

—With files from The Canadian Press, first published in French and translated by CityNews