“Searching for the trapped woman, we were met with multiple explosions from the lithium-ion battery packs. The fire was everywhere, there were hot spots all over the ceiling and the temperature was so intense I could feel it through my gloves.”
This is the horrifying testimony from London firefighter Paul Fergus about an apartment fire in the Kilburn area in August 2023, which was found to be caused by malfunctioning e-scooter batteries. A woman trapped in the apartment was thankfully rescued and – this time – no one died. Such accounts are particularly concerning to me as someone with two e-bikes in my home, my wife’s Liv Vall E+ Pro and my Specialized Creo. Both are kept in the house, though we’re nervous about charging them unattended. Is our caution justified? After all, even the UK Department for Transport’s latest guidance on e-bike safety concedes that all
