A home has been destroyed after an electric bike caught fire in the middle of the night.
Residents fled a house on Melrose Street in South Belfast after they were awakened in the early hours of Wednesday (August 31) morning by their smoke alarms.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service East (NIFRS) were called to the scene of the house fire at 2.39am this morning, where they rescued two people.
The blaze, found have been started by a malfunctioning electronic bicycle on charge, was then brought under control and resolved by 3.37am, according to a statement.
Photographs shared by the fire service in the aftermath showed the front room of the house completely burnt out, with windows clearly missing and fire damage visible around them.
The public has now been urged by the NIFRS into avoid leaving appliances on charge unattended over the risk of them creating a fire hazard, with them also underlining how important it is to check that your smoke detectors are working properly.
In an appeal on social media s howing photos of the damage caused , they said : "Pictures of a house fire in early hours of this morning in South Belfast. Crews from Cadogan, Central and Springfield Stations rescued two persons using ladders.
"Residents of property awakened by working smoke detectors. Fire caused by electric bike being left on charge. Please make sure nothing is left charging overnight and unattended and make sure you have working smoke detectors."
Back in February shocking footage was shared online showing a house fire which started when an e-bike exploded, showing wild-looking flames caused by the battery “flaring”.
The clip shows thick smoke pouring out of a downstairs window of the fire in Leytonstone, which began while lithium battery was charging.
According to the long-running government campaign Fire Kills, you are around 8 times more likely to die from a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm in your home.
