Seven people had a lucky escape after an e-bike battery burst into flames in a “terrifying incident” in north London.
Residents at a block of flats in West Hampstead had been asleep when a lithium battery which was on charge started making a “crackling noise” in a bedroom.
The London Fire Brigade were called at 2.44am on Monday to the fire on Abbey Road and found five people still inside the building.
Two residents had left their homes before firefighters arrived. There were no smoke alarms in the property.
Station Officer Steve Duffy, who was at the scene, said: “This would have been a terrifying incident for all involved and it is incredibly lucky that no lives have been lost.
"This incident shows how important working smoke alarms are throughout a property.
“The occupants were asleep when the battery started to make a crackling noise in the bedroom as it was charging. It is pure chance that the battery owner heard the noise.”
The fire spread rapidly and the resident managed to move the battery from the room to the communal stairwell, blocking a fire escape route.
He was “lucky not to be seriously hurt,” Mr Duffy added.
Part of a bedsit on the third floor was destroyed in the blaze as well as the front door of a neighbouring flat.
Three people died and around 60 people were hurt in similar fires last year.
Mr Duffy continued: “Despite the battery not being placed in an ideal spot – it completely destroyed the neighbour’s front door – it’s certain if the battery had gone into thermal runaway (this is when there’s a dangerous chemical reaction that can occur when a battery cell overheats) in the bedroom then the other inhabitants could have been seriously injured or much much worse.
“This fire is yet another example in London of the dangers e-bikes and e-scooters can pose if the battery fails catastrophically and catches fire.”
He added: “Fires involving lithium batteries, which power these vehicles, can be ferocious, producing jets of flame. The blaze is also hot enough to melt through metal. This type of fire produces a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled.
“The fire can also be extremely challenging to put out. Our advice is to get away to safety and call 999.”
The LFB advises people to keep batteries away from where people live by putting them in a shed or garage.
“The man who attempted to move the battery is lucky not to be seriously hurt. Fires involving lithium batteries, which power these vehicles, can be ferocious, producing jets of flame.
“The blaze is also hot enough to melt through metal. This type of fire produces a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled.
“The fire can also be extremely challenging to put out. Our advice is to get away to safety and call 999.”
