E-bike fire evacuates employee dorm on Mackinac Island

Historic Mackinac Island late Wednesday saw its first known fire of the season related to an e-bike, Fire Chief Jason St. Onge confirmed to the Detroit Free Press.

At 9:45 p.m., the Mackinac Island Fire Department received a report of an alarm at "The Twilight" employee dorm with smoke coming from the building, according to the fire agency's post on Facebook.

"As units made the scene, residents reported it was an E-Bike Battery burning in a second-floor room," the Facebook post said. "Arriving units stretched a line to the back stairs, forced a door and moved in on the fire, which had also activated the sprinklers. Firefighters Joe Cicala, Richard Chambers and Marty Chappell (led) by Lt. Myron Johnson were able to remove the burning battery while advancing the hose line. It should be noted the battery continued to burn while submerged in water. Other firefighters helped evacuate the fire floor and went to the floor above and below to ensure everyone was out of the building."

The fire was contained to a second-floor bedroom.

One resident was later transferred off the island to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey for smoke inhalation, the chief told the Free Press. He did not know the condition of the person.

About 30 people were displaced by the fire, St. Onge said. The employee dorm is owned by the Grand Hotel, he said.

"The Grand Hotel has a policy of no e-bike batteries in any of their buildings. But you can have all these rules and they're very difficult to enforce," St. Onge told the Free Press. "The battery was red and burning while submerged in water."

The battery that appears to have caused the fire blew apart, so fire officials are unable to determine the make or model of the battery, St. Onge said.

A message has been left with Grand Hotel about its e-bike battery safety policies and the condition of the employee who went to the hospital.

Comments on the Facebook page heap praise on the Mackinac Island Fire Department for its rapid response.

Fire chief warns of potential for disaster

"We're very fortunate that this was a sprinkled building, with a working sprinkler system," St. Onge said Thursday. "It's an ongoing concern, the e-bike batteries … My concern is when is our luck going to run out?"

A year ago, St. Onge sounded warnings about his concern for the potential of having a fast-burning e-bike battery fire that could devour historic wooden structures after four bicycle battery-related fires within the past year on the island.

E-bike battery fires have made headlines in New York and nationally, triggering bipartisan discussion about the need for tighter regulation among policymakers in Washington. On Mackinac Island, the concern includes not just public safety but also the potential impact on Michigan’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry. Mackinac Island attracts visitors from around the world, attracted specifically by the historic wooden homes and shops.

In July 2022, Mackinac Island firefighters were dispatched to a home early in the evening and three people had to be taken to a Petoskey hospital.

"It was the first time in our 204-year history we had firefighters hospitalized overnight," St. Onge later told the Free Press. "They had inhalation and respiratory injuries. Deputy Chief Larry Rickley was only 100 yards away when he heard the explosion. He beat all the trucks there and went in without any equipment. He crawled into the building and kicked the battery (charging indoors) out the front door. It was shooting fire."

Businesses and local residents are urged not to charge batteries indoors, in hallways or common spaces.

Mackinac Island Police Chief Doug Topolski urged travelers headed to the iconic vacation destination in northern Michigan to leave their e-bikes at home.

Motor vehicles have been banned on the island for decades, but certain e-bikes are allowed for people with disabilities who both live on or visit the island, per guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Topolski said e-bike violations are also a problem on the island and riders not following the rules risk warnings, tickets and even having the e-bike being impounded. He put out a list of what is allowed and what is not. Bicyclists may ride a Class I e-Bike, which has a motor that provides pedal assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance at 20 mph. It has no throttle. Class II e-bikes with throttles that propel the bike and Class III e-bikes that provide assistance when the rider is pedaling, reaching up to 28 mph, are not allowed on Mackinac.

Police did, in fact, seize e-bikes in 2023. The chief confirmed in mid-July an estimated 50-75 e-bikes had been seized within a three-week period.

"I guess the frustrating part is knowing that a lot of people are rationalizing their insistence on a convenience as a necessity and having to deal with the result: a proliferation of e-bikes for anyone who wants the convenience of one," Topolski told the Free Press at the time. "Mackinac Island is not necessarily a 'convenient' place to be, and that's what makes it so great."

Topolski told the Free Press Thursday that the island's municipal government has no ordinance that prohibits e-bike batteries in a house. "At this point, it’s up to the owners of these housing units to police them,” he said.

Meanwhile, he noted, that Mackinac Island Town Crier newspaper is reporting preliminary election results from Tuesday that indicate Fire Chief St. Onge won a seat on the city council, “so it won’t surprise me if we get some ordinances with more teeth regarding the storage of e-bike batteries in residential areas.”

The newspaper reported that St. Onge won the most votes out of five candidates, with 227 votes of 412 cast. The two winners were St. Onge and incumbent Tom Corrigan, with 167.

More: Harbour View Inn hotel on Mackinac Island sold to Grosse Pointe couple

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: E-bike fire evacuates employee dorm on Mackinac Island