Vancouver firefighters are ramping up efforts to crack down on retailers still dealing a kind of lighter banned by the city.
The City of Vancouver prohibited the sale of lockable butane torches last summer, citing over 3,000 fires attributed to the careless use of the items from January 2023 to April 2024.
But Vancouver Fire Rescue Service says the number of fires sparked by the devices hasn’t decreased.
Last week, crews visited nearly 170 retailers and discovered 83 of them were still selling lockable torches.
“The team delivered strong messaging,” said Assistant Chief Justin Mulcahy. “They issued warnings and gathered evidence for future site visits, during which municipal tickets will be issued in instances of non-compliance.”
Capt. Matthew Trudeau says two tickets were issued to businesses that had already been warned.
This year, from Jan. 1 to June 12, there were at least 24 fires confirmed to be caused by the use of the lockable lighters.
“We do know the number is actually significantly higher than the numbers we see, but those are the ones that we absolutely confirm,” Trudeau claimed.
He says the torches are more dangerous than the average lighter, and not just because the fuel supply can be locked open while lit.
“These torches are incredibly dangerous as far as the amount of the temperature, the pressurization, the flames that are shooting out, and how focused it is on a certain area, with or without the locking component,” said Trudeau.
He said VFRS has asked the provincial and federal governments to look into banning the devices.