Delivery rider seriously injured after his e-bike caught fire while charging | UK News

A man suffered serious burns when his e-bike caught fire while charging.

The man, a food delivery rider, was charging his e-bike in his bedroom in a flat in Highgate, north London, when it caught alight on September 12.

He suffered burns to several parts of his body while trying to put out the fire with an extinguisher.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) shared a picture of the severely damaged e-bike, which had a bag used by riders for Deliveroo attached to the back.

The victim was using a charger bought online the day before, the fire brigade said, and added the risk of fire is ‘much greater’ if e-bike owners don’t use the correct charger from a reputable seller.

Deputy commissioner Dom Ellis said: ‘We strongly recommend calling us immediately if there is a fire, but particularly if it involves your e-bike or e-scooter.

‘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.

‘This incident, and the severe injuries sustained by this e-bike owner, highlights why you should never tackle a lithium battery fire. Our advice is to get out and call 999.’

The government is facing calls to tighten e-bike regulations following a spike in battery fires in the capital in recent weeks.

There have been at least 137 e-bike or e-scooter fires in London so far this year, where three people have died and a further 50 were injured in the blazes.

LFB has previously warned of the dangers posed by faulty e-bikes, and sadly a father died in Kentish Town after the battery pack set his house on fire.

Outside of London, a mum and two children from Cambridge died in a fire caused by a charging e-bike, while a man died in Liverpool trying to rescue his dad from an e-bike house fire.

Private e-scooters have become common in urban areas despite not being legal to ride on roads of pavements. E-bikes are legal as long as they meet certain requirements.

Mr Ellis added: ‘We recognise the many benefits e-bikes bring to travel in our city, but the stark reality is that some of these vehicles are proving to be incredibly dangerous, particularly if they have been modified with second-hand products or if batteries are used with the wrong chargers.

‘We fear we will continue to see a high level of these fires unless urgent research takes place into the causes of these battery fires.

‘Proper regulation is also required to help prevent people unknowingly purchasing dangerous products, such as batteries and conversion kits, from online marketplaces.’

Lesley Rudd, chief executive of the charity Electrical Safety First, said: ‘Online marketplaces are a hot bed for substandard e-bike chargers, with our own snapshot investigation finding more than 60 that posed a serious risk of fire.

‘Incompatible chargers can supply an e-bike battery with too much voltage causing a catastrophic fire and we want to see a ban on universal chargers that risk doing exactly this.

‘Until online marketplaces are regulated like our high street stores, fires will continue.’

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