Shocking footage of a house fire which started when an e-bike exploded has emerged, showing wild-looking flames caused by the battery “flaring”.
The clip shows thick smoke pouring out of a downstairs window of the house fire in Leytonstone, which began on January 18 when the lithium battery was charging.
The incident prompted the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to warn the public about leaving items unattended to charge, My London reported.
In a social media post by Steve Dudeney, a retired LFB borough commander, he describes how the lithium battery caused "flaring", which gives the fire its wild appearance in the footage.
"A house fire in East London a couple of weeks ago caused by an e-scooter lithium battery,” he wrote.
"The burning batteries 'flaring' causes over-pressure which looks like mini-backdraughts!!!"
On Thursday, the LFB posted a tweet in light of the new video, reading: "Incredible video [...] that shows the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.
“The incident was on January 18 on Grove Road, #Leytonstone.
"The cause was the failure of a lithium-ion battery pack for an e-bike (not e-scooter) that had been on charge"
The fire last month on Grove Road was discovered by two residents after they heard bangs coming from a bedroom on the ground floor.
Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters from Leytonstone, Leyton and Walthamstow fire stations attended the scene and spent just under an hour bringing it under control.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for LFB said: “We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, so it’s important to always use the correct charger for the product and buy an official one from a reputable seller.
“Batteries can also pose a risk if they have been damaged, so try to ensure they are not getting knocked around while in use or while being carried as spares as this can increase the chance of damage to cells.
“You should also not expose them to extremes of temperature."
“You should always make sure you unplug your charger once it’s finished charging,” they added.
“Always follow manufacturers’ instructions when charging and we would advise not to leave it unattended or while people are asleep.
"This is also a timely reminder to keep internal doors to rooms, not in use closed to stop smoke from spreading if a fire starts.
"The property sustained substantial smoke damaged due to internal doors inside the property being left open.”
In December 2021, Transport for London (TfL) banned all e-scooters from London transport after dozens of incidents saw scooters explode and release toxic smoke on trains.
The review by TfL found that defective lithium batteries in some e-scooters caused fires without warning, with the fire brigade being called out more than 50 times last year.
In November last year, an e-scooter caught fire on the Tube at Parsons Green.
In a distressing video of the incident, passengers can be heard coughing and gasping for air as smoke fills the carriages. TfL warned that a fire in an enclosed area like a bus or the Tube could lead to "significant harm" to passengers and staff.
A TfL statement read: "This review has found that the incidents that occurred were caused by defective lithium-ion batteries which ruptured without warning.
"This led to fires that caused toxic smoke to be released.
"TfL consider that if this were to happen again and fires occurred in an enclosed area like a Tube train or a bus, there could be significant harm to both customers and staff, as well as secondary injuries from customers trying to escape the area."
