A baby and a child are among five people who have been taken to hospital following a house fire caused by a failed e-bike battery.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to the blaze in Shakespeare Crescent, Manor Park, north-east London, shortly before 10pm on Tuesday.
They arrived to find one child and an adult had managed to get out of the property, while two other adults with a baby were trapped in the back garden.
They were rescued by firefighters, and all five were taken to hospital by ambulance, suffering from smoke inhalation.
Around 25 firefighters spent roughly an hour tackling the blaze, which was under control shortly before 11pm, and left part of the ground floor of the house damaged.
The fire is believed to have been an accident, caused by the failure of a lithium e-bike battery, the LFB said.
The brigade on Wednesday issued a fresh warning about the vehicles, which it says can be “incredibly dangerous”.
"E-bikes and e-scooters can be a fun and sustainable way of getting around London but the stark reality is that some of these vehicles are proving to be incredibly dangerous if they are not used safely,” said an LFB spokesperson.
“We encourage people to follow our top tips on how to store and charge their e-bikes and e-scooters safely.”
As their popularity has soared, e-bikes and e-scooters have become London’s fastest-growing fire risk.
A fire involving the vehicles happened, on average, once every two days in 2023. The fires have claimed three lives and have left dozens more injured, LFB said previously.
"It is vital that you do not store or charge the device on an escape route such as a hallway,” said a spokesperson on Wednesday.
“We have seen incidents where people have had to jump from windows or be rescued by firefighters because their escape route has been blocked by fire or smoke.
“If it is not possible to keep the device outside or in a shed or garage, make sure it is in a room where you can shut the door and contain a fire.
"When charging your e-bike or e-scooter, make sure you are using the correct charger. Mismatching the charger increases the risk of fire. It's also important not to overcharge and to unplug the charger once it's completed charging.
“Never charge an e-bike or e-scooter unattended or whilst you're sleeping.
"If you're converting your bike from a pushbike into an e-bike, make sure you get a professional or competent person to carry out the conversion."
In February, shocking video footage showed the moment an e-bike exploded in the middle of a high street in Shepherd’s Bush, “producing jets of flame hot enough to melt through metal”.
On New Year’s Day last year, 21-year-old Sofia Duarte did when an e-bike battery burst into flames in the entrance hall of her London flat, blocking her escape. Her mother has since worked to raise awareness of the dangers of e-bikes and lithium batteries and the dangers they can pose.
