A man has suffered severe injuries in the latest incident involving an e-bike fire in London, adding to a concerning trend of e-bike and e-scooter fires throughout September.
The incident unfolded in a flat on New Orleans Walk in Highgate on 12th September.
An e-bike, situated in a bedroom, suddenly ignited, prompting the owner to attempt to extinguish the flames with an extinguisher.
Tragically, he sustained severe burns before firefighters arrived to quell the blaze.
This alarming development comes in the wake of a recent warning from the London Fire Brigade, which revealed that the number of battery fires in these electric vehicles has already surpassed the total for the entire year of 2022.
The London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee conveyed their “serious concerns” to the government regarding the regulation of these vehicles and called for the Department for Business and Trade to outline their strategies for tackling this pressing issue.
Deputy Commissioner Dom Ellis said: ”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.”