A house in south Bristol has been gutted by a blaze caused when the battery pack on an e-scooter caught fire.
Crews from Bedminster and Temple fire stations rushed to the house in Knowle West at around 7.30am today, Wednesday after residents called 999 to report a two-storey house was on fire. Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started when electric scooter battery packs, that were charging in the kitchen, overheated and caught on fire.
Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and carrying a hose got into the kitchen to deal with the blaze, and put it out, but not before extensive damage was caused to the ground floor of the house.
Read more: E-scooter trial to be expanded to the rest of Bristol
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the fire involved lithium-ion batteries on charge, and the e-scooter involved was a privately-owned one and not part of the e-scooter trial project that includes scooter hire company Voi leasing e-scooters to people to store in their own homes.
“On arrival, firefighters found the kitchen on the ground floor of the property well alight,” she said. “Wearing two breathing apparatus, firefighters used two high-pressure hose reels, one 45mm covering jet and positive pressure attack Phase 2 to extinguish the fire.
“Crews also used a thermal imaging camera to check for hot spots and a gas monitor. Thankfully, there were no casualties. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters spent time damping down the property and delivering safety messaging to neighbouring properties.
“The cause of the fire is thought to have been accidental ignition,” she said, adding that Avon Fire and Rescue service had put together safety information advice about charging batteries.
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