Owners of e-bikes and e-scooters are being warned to only charge their vehicles outside after an apartment fire left two people in hospital.
The pair were forced to evacuate through a window after they awoke to the sound of a charging e-bike exploding near their front door in Footscray, Melbourne's west, Fire Rescue Victoria said.
The blaze did not spread beyond their unit, which firefighters said did not have a working smoke alarm.
One of their neighbours had to be rescued by emergency crews while paramedics took the occupants to hospital.
The fire service's deputy commissioner of community safety Joshua Fischer said it was important to be mindful of the risks posed by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
"It is crucial that you never leave your rechargeable batteries in front of exits, which would prevent your escape should a fire break out," he said.
"In this case, the e-bike was indeed blocking the exit, which is why the occupants evacuated out of the window."
He reminded people to only buy products from reputable suppliers and never tamper with batteries.
"Attempting to modify a battery yourself could lead to the incorrect power delivery being applied to the device, which can lead to overheating and fires," he said.
"It's also important that you only use the battery or charger originally supplied with the device, or one sold by the manufacturer."
