A teenage boy narrowly escaped injury when the e-bike he was riding caught fire on his way to school in Alexandria, around 8 a.m. on Aug. 28.
Firefighter David Jordan of Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) was driving to work and traveling along Botany Road when he saw a large plume of smoke.
“At first, I thought it was a building fire; the smoke was so thick, so I turned the corner and pulled over to assess the situation,” Station Officer Jordan said.
He saw the e-bike on fire, with flames spitting from its battery as the overheated cells went into ‘thermal runaway.’
Jordan took immediate action to evacuate bystanders and used a handheld fire extinguisher to help control the blaze until a FRNSW crew from Mascot arrived.
The fire department reported that the number of fires caused by e-bikes and scooters in NSW nearly tripled last year, prompting the government to launch a state parliamentary inquiry on electric batteries, which are significantly more fire-prone.
In 2023, FRNSW responded to 61 such fires, a significant increase from the 22 reported in 2022.
FRNSW confirmed that a faulty battery array in the e-bike caused the blaze. The e-bike was bought less than two months ago from a Sydney retail store.
The 15-year-old had borrowed the e-bike from a family friend the night before. He felt the heat from the battery pack burning his legs but was unharmed and continued on to school after the fire was extinguished.
Acting Assistant Commissioner for Community Safety, Brendan Cox, emphasised the risks associated with e-bikes.
“The incident has prompted FRNSW to remind the public [that] e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards, along with other Lithium-Ion battery-powered devices, should never be on charge while you’re sleeping or not at home,” he said.
“When Lithium-Ion batteries overheat, they can release toxic gas and then explode violently in flames. If such a fire does occur, remove yourself from harm’s way and call Triple Zero (000),” he added.
