Banned butane torches still being sold in Vancouver — and they're causing fires, crews say

One year since the City of Vancouver banned the sale of lockable butane torches, the devices are still being sold and causing fires in the city. 

According to the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS), the number of fires being started from lockable butane torches, or continuous flame butane torches, hasn't changed in the last year. 

"We're seeing on almost a daily basis that ... the ability to have a pressurized flame that's focused at a very high temperature and locking on creates a number of challenges," says Matthew Trudeau, the fire department's public information officer.

Last week, educators and fire-prevention inspectors with the VFRS's Community Safety Division inspected 168 retail vendors around the city and found that 83 of them continued to sell the device.

Assistant Chief Justin Mulcahy says the team "issued warnings and gathered evidence for future site visits." 

The fire department also issued two municipal tickets, each at $1,000. 

$7M in damages, 23 injuries, 1 death

The VFRS said in a statement that they determined the torches started 38 fires in Vancouver in 2024, and at least another 24 fires in the first half of 2025. They say more analysis is needed to determine how the torches were being used at the time.

Since January 2024, the torches have also caused about $7 million in property damages, injured 23 people and caused the death of one person, the fire department says.

Continuous flame or lockable butane torches are used in the culinary industry as well as in plumbing, heating and refrigeration trades. They may also be used for smoking and drug use. 

"Their design, featuring a continuous flame without the need for constant button pressure, renders them susceptible to misuse, particularly in situations of impairment such as drug use," notes a 2023 annual report by the VFRS.

"Indoor smoking of illicit drugs using lockable lighters is prevalent, with users often inadvertently leaving flames unattended, leading to potential ignition of combustible materials."

The fire department also reported to the city that from January 2023 to April 2024, a torch may have been the igniting object behind 3,100 fires, 356 of which occurred in Single Residency Occupancy (SRO) buildings.

Last year, the city passed a bylaw prohibiting the sale of lockable butane lighters and torches across Vancouver, beginning that June, in what it described as an effort to curb structure fires, serious injuries and deaths. 

However, Trudeau says people can still purchase the torches in neighbouring cities or online, and that there are concerns around importation as well.

"We don't even know where they're kind of coming from. And they're creating a huge risk here of something that's just not simply needed."

Trudeau says they've asked the provincial and federal governments for help with enforcement. 

In a statement to CBC News, the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said the "regulation and safety standards for lighters, including lockable models, falls under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and are therefore within federal jurisdiction." 

The Canada Border Services Agency, which is responsible for the flow of trade into the country, and the Department of Justice, which supports Canada's Attorney General, did not respond to CBC by deadline.