West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has highlighted the dangers of lithium batteries with a horrifying video of a house bursting into flames.
The scary images happened in Halifax at around 1am on February 1 when the homeowner heard a "popping noise" downstairs, which they went to investigate.
The "popping noise" came from the electric motorbike that was being charged inside the house, with the sound indicating that the batteries were failing before the room was engulfed with flames just as the homeowner reached halfway down the stairs.
On Tuesday, the force released the shocking video, with the permission of the homeowner, to educate the public.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The video shows the owner rushing downstairs in the middle of the night after being woken by a popping noise, created by the batteries of an electric motorbike being charged inside the house.
"The sound indicated the batteries were failing due to thermal runaway – this is when too much heat is generated within a battery. Seconds later fire dramatically erupts and sets off the smoke alarm."
Five people were taken to hospital following the incident, all with smoke inhalation, with one person suffering burns to their mouth and windpipe. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The kitchen of the property was severely damaged by smoke and heat while other parts of the house were affected due to open doors as people escaped from the fire.
Watch manager John Cavalier, who is part of the force's fire investigation unit, said: "While fires involving lithium batteries are common, having a video showing the violence of the fire’s development is not.
"It’s clear to see in the video that the fire is absolutely horrifying – none of us would want this to happen in our homes."
WM Cavalier also outlined the dangers of lithium batteries and gave advice on how to prevent such incidences to occur in your home.
He continued: "Because lithium batteries can be found in a range of items, we frequently attend fires involving them.
"Any other type of fire we deal with has usually developed slowly, and people are able to get out quickly. However, battery fires are so ferocious and spread so quickly that there isn’t as much time to escape.
"To help keep everyone in your family safe, don’t leave lithium batteries to charge unattended, don’t put them in the way of exits or in hallways and unplug chargers when the batteries are at full capacity."
