An electric bike exploded inside a Dublin shopping centre on Sunday afternoon - much to the horror of shoppers nearby.
The explosion happened at the Ilac shopping centre at around 4pm, sending bits of melted black plastic flying and leaving it scattered all over the floor.
The bike, thought to belong to a food delivery worker, went up in flames just outside McDonalds with people nearby hearing a bang before smelling burning plastic.
One man who witnessed the aftermath said he had just popped into Dunnes Stores to buy some milk when he heard the commotion.
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Speaking to Dublin Live, Charles Gallagher said: "I was literally only in Dunnes Stores getting a carton of milk. As soon as we got around the corner there at the Parnell Street side of the centre, the alarm started going off.
"These shutters started coming down. All you could see was the smoke and the flames down at McDonalds.
"We thought McDonalds was on fire at first. As we got closer, we saw that it was an electric bike. Its battery had exploded everywhere. There were little fiery pieces of plastic all over the floor.
He said he would be reluctant to use his own electric scooter again after seeing the damage the vehicle caused.
"I got a wee bit of a fright," he said. "It was one of those busy times as well. On the wall, there was little dots of black plastic from the bike. I actually have an electric scooter myself but I'm telling you I won't be using it after that."
The Irish Mirror has contacted the Ilac centre for comment.
With electric bikes becoming more popular, there has been a rise in reports of fires that have been started by exploding e-bike batteries.
Some of these deadly explosions have had tragic consequences. Five people have died in fires involving lithium-ion batteries on electric bikes and scooters in New York so far this year.
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