London: The London Fire Brigade has issued a warning after a man narrowly avoided injury following an explosion of his e-bike, the media reported on Friday.
CCTV footage from the entrance to Avi Gooransingh’s home in Tangley Grove shows the bike’s battery erupt after it goes into thermal runaway, producing a white and grey coloured highly flammable and toxic vapour cloud into the air which ignites into a fireball a few seconds later, reports mirror.co.uk.
The 29-year-old narrowly escaped the fire and was able to run back into his flat, shocked and unhurt.
Firefighters were quickly on the scene and safely put out the fire.
In the wake of the incident, the London Fire Brigade has been running its #ChargeSafe campaign, which aims to highlight the fire risks associated with lithium batteries commonly used with e-bikes.
The Brigade has been called to 52 e-bike and 12 e-scooter fires so far in 2023.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: “Although we can’t be sure why this particular battery failed, we do know that Avi’s e-bike was purchased second-hand and that an additional battery pack, bought from an online marketplace, had been fitted.
“Cheaper batteries purchased from online sources which don’t necessarily adhere to UK safety regulations are more likely to fail and present an increased fire risk. Our advice is also to buy from a reputable seller.
“As the video clearly shows, once the bike goes into thermal runaway, it can lead to a rapid and ferocious fire.”
The Deputy Commissioner further recommended charging and storing the e-bikes outside of one’s house, “and if you can’t, then seriously think about whether you should buy one”.
–IANS