The London Fire Brigade has issued an urgent safety warning after three severe e-bike fires gutted homes in separate parts of London in a single week. A fire in a flat in Bethnal Green started on the third floor and quickly spread to flats on the fourth and fifth floors.
The fire in a ground floor flat in Walthamstow was caused by a converted e-bike purchased on an online marketplace the previous month and was on charge when it burst into flames.
In all three cases, these fires were caused by catastrophic battery failures. When these batteries fail, they can cause ferocious fires, and the consequences can be devastating.
We strongly support London Fire Brigade’s warning and urge social and private landlords to communicate the risk and the vital need for residents to follow the safety advice to help to protect those around them and their homes:
- Using mismatched batteries and chargers, especially incompatible or counterfeit ones, can cause serious fires.
- If the wrong charger is used, it can lead to the battery overheating, failing, and starting a fire in seconds.
- Devices should never be left charging unattended.
London Fire Brigade have now published a powerful video about the risk of not charging or storing these bikes and scooters correctly.
As fire safety specialists, Trail Group is strongly urging social and private landlords to communicate this advice to their residents and to help raise awareness of the risks:
- Only buy e-bikes from reputable sellers
- Always use the correct charger
- Let batteries cool down before charging
- DO NOT modify or tamper with batteries
- Fit smoke alarms where these bikes are charged.
Watch the video here:
More details about charging e-bikes here.
Images – London Fire Brigade.