E-bike fire warning renewed by London Fire Brigade
Published

31 January

A faulty e-bike battery caused a fire in Stebbing House in Queensdale
Crescent, Shepherd's Bush last year

By Jess Warren & PA Media
BBC News

Firefighters have issued another safety warning about "incredibly
concerning" fires involving e-bikes in London.

A woman and three children escaped from a fire in a high-rise block of
flats in the south-east of the capital on Friday after an e-bike caught
fire.

It was believed to have been caused by a faulty lithium battery in the
device.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) says it dealt with 87 fires involving e-bikes in
2022, up from 49 a year earlier, which is an 80% increase.

It says it dealt with 29 fires linked to e-scooters in 2022, compared to 30
in 2021.

The woman and three children were taken to hospital after breathing in
smoke while escaping from a flat on the third floor of the seven-storey
block in Erith on Friday night.

The fire service was called to the fire in Arthur Street at 22:51 GMT and
it was just past midnight when it was brought under control.

A room where an e-bike was stored before causing a fire in Shepherd's Bush
last year

A spokesman for the brigade 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."

E-bike fire warning issued after tower block blaze

Transport for London bans e-scooters from network
Fire prompts call to ban e-scooters from Tube

The scorched windows of the 12th-floor flat in Queensdale Crescent,
Shepherd's Bush

The spokesman said fires predominately began from batteries that had been
sourced on the internet, which might not meet safety standards.

A similar warning about fires involving e-bikes was issued in June after
residents were evacuated from Stebbing House in Queensdale Crescent,
Shepherd's Bush.

'Dangerous chargers freely available'

About 60 firefighters battled flames in a 12th-floor flat with eight fire
engines at the scene. The London Ambulance Service said one person was
taken to hospital and two assessed at the site.

The spokesman urged people to store e-bikes and e-scooters in a shed or
garage.

If stored inside, means of escape must not be obstructed, and smoke
detectors should be fitted, he added.

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of the Electrical Safety First charity, which
aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electrical accidents, called
for online marketplaces to be regulated to "force them to take reasonable
steps to ensure that goods sold on their platform are safe".

She said: "Our own investigations have found dangerous chargers for e-bikes
freely available on online marketplaces, leaving shoppers at serious risk
of a fire."

<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64464888>

--
Spike