A charging e-bike battery sparked a two-alarm fire early Wednesday that tore through two homes on Hamilton Avenue, leaving eight residents displaced and sending three people to the hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.
The fire began around 2:39 a.m. on May 28 in a bedroom where the battery was being charged, according to an investigation by the Hamilton Fire Marshals Office and the Hamilton Police Division.
Flames quickly spread through a three-story duplex and an adjacent two-family home, both of which sustained heavy damage across all three floors.
Firefighters from the Hamilton Fire Division arrived to find both buildings fully involved. While truck and rescue companies searched for possible victims, engine crews stretched handlines to attack the fire.
All occupants had evacuated safely, and the fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes.
Two residents were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. One firefighter was also treated for minor injuries after a fall during the response.
Both homes were deemed uninhabitable. The Red Cross responded to assist the displaced residents.
