EV charging station fire New Westminster

Technical Safety BC has traced an electric-vehicle charger fire in New Westminster last October to a remote diagnostic session by a technician in California, according to the provincial regulator’s incident report and a CityNews Vancouver report published May 15. The fire destroyed the charger, damaged nearby trees, a streetlight and a vehicle at an adjacent charger, and forced the evacuation of a neighboring McDonald’s, the regulator said. No injuries were reported. The charger was not in use when it overheated and caught fire on October 11, 2025. ### How did investigators say the fire started? Technical Safety BC said the charger had been placed in diagnostic mode during a remote check, a setting that overrides normal temperature and safety controls. The regulator said a technician working remotely from California accidentally turned on the battery heater during that process. CityNews Vancouver reported that the charger was left in diagnostic mode for 26 hours before the fire. The report said the battery temperature reached 82 degrees Celsius before ignition. ### What equipment was involved in the fire? Technical Safety BC identified the unit as a “Boost 200” DC fast charger manufactured by Freewire Technologies. The regulator said the charger contains an integrated 160-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and can deliver up to 200 kilowatts of charging power through a CCS1 connection. (technicalsafetybc.ca) (vancouver.citynews.ca) The regulator said the charger uses a battery management system and HVAC components to control battery temperature. Heating mats above the battery stacks warm the cells when needed, according to the incident summary. ### What damage did the fire cause in New Westminster? (files.technicalsafetybc.ca) The October 11, 2025 fire destroyed the charger and caused what Technical Safety BC classified as a “Major” incident. The regulator said burning lithium-ion batteries released toxic emissions and caused heat and fire damage to surrounding trees, a streetlight and a vehicle charging at the adjacent unit. (files.technicalsafetybc.ca) New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services responded to the site at the corner of Eighth Street and McBride Boulevard, in the Chevron parking lot next to a McDonald’s, according to Freshet News. Fire Chief Erin Williams told the outlet crews cut power to the charging station and used hand lines from multiple trucks to extinguish the blaze. (files.technicalsafetybc.ca) ### Was anyone hurt or evacuated? Technical Safety BC said no injuries were reported. The regulator also said a neighboring fast-food restaurant had to be evacuated because of the fire and toxic emissions. Erin Williams told Freshet News that the McDonald’s was “briefly evacuated as a precaution” to clear residual smoke from the area. (freshetnews.ca) ### What changed after the fire? CityNews Vancouver reported that software updates were made after the incident to limit how long heaters can remain on in diagnostic mode and how long a charger can stay in that mode. (files.technicalsafetybc.ca) The outlet also reported that communication protocols for critical alerts were updated after investigators found overheat warning emails had been on silent. (freshetnews.ca) Technical Safety BC has published the final incident summary under reference number II-1977850-2025. The report gives the incident date as October 11, 2025 and the location as New Westminster. (files.technicalsafetybc.ca) (vancouver.citynews.ca)