London Fire Brigade warns against storing electric cycles within buildings
Sparks flew and intense flames emerged from bicycle. Picture: London Fire Brigade
May 26, 2023
London Fire Brigade has issue a short video this Friday (26 May) of an incident in which an e-bike burst into flames in Roehampton.
The film shows the bike apparently left in a communal are of a building. A man in the footage appears to be about to enter one of the flats when his attention is attracted by the bike from which smoke is starting to emerge.
Initially approaches it but thankfully, he thinks better of that and moves away from the bike. Seconds later it bursts into intense flames with sparks flying around the area. The man was not hurt in the incident.
Along with the video posted on social media, London Fire Brigade said, “This footage shows just how dangerous it can be when a faulty e-bike lithium battery catches fire and explodes.”
There have been a number of house fires caused by e-bikes catching fire.
??This footage shows just how dangerous it can be when a faulty e-bike lithium battery catches fire and explodes.??
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) May 26, 2023
Thankfully no one was hurt in this particular incident, which took place in #Roehampton, south west London, last weekend. pic.twitter.com/fnCXAcnPjp
After one recent incident a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said, “It’s incredibly concerning we are continuing to see a rise in incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters.
“When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and because the fires develop so rapidly the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.
“Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used and there is a significant risk posed by e-scooters which have been converted.
"We are predominantly seeing fires where batteries have been purchased from online marketplaces and when they've been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards.
“Our advice is to store and charge these items in a safe location if possible, such as in a shed or a garage, and if they have to be stored inside, make sure there is smoke detection fitted and your means of escape is not obstructed.
“However, we know this won’t be possible for everyone, so if you are charging them indoors, please follow our advice on safe charging and ensure everyone in your home knows what to do in the event of a fire.
“We would also suggest people try not to charge them when they are asleep, so that if there is an issue they can react quickly.”
South Western Railway has recently banned e-scooters from its trains and station but e-bikes are still allowed. The train operating company says the latter have higher safety standards than e-scooters.
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