At least five people were left injured after a fire broke out in an 18-storey block of flats in Hammersmith.
The incident occurred around 8:40pm on Thursday in Great Church Lane, with flames primarily affecting the fifth floor.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called after the “catastrophic failure of a battery pack on a converted e-bike” that was charging and the fire centred around the fifth floor.
Firefighters rescued three adults from the fifth and sixth floors, who were subsequently taken to hospital for smoke inhalation treatment. A woman and child were also treated at the scene for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "E-bikes and e-scooters are London's fastest-growing fire risk.
"The e-bike had been converted from a normal bike. Converting pedal bikes into e-bikes using DIY kits bought online can be very dangerous.
“They can pose a higher risk of fire. Get a professional or competent person to carry out the conversion and make sure to buy a battery from a reputable seller and that it is not second-hand.”
E-bikes and e-scooters are powered by lithium batteries which release a significant amount of energy in a small space.
If there is overheating, crushing, penetrating or overcharging, then a fault can occur within damaged battery cells which may cause the battery to catch fire or explode.
The Fire Brigade has published advice for e-bike users that includes not charging the packs overnight, not to cross chargers and not to charge e-bikes for too long.
